Unneeded medical procedure leaves woman quadriplegic

It began with a migraine. It ended in a nightmare. In late 2006, Robyn Frankel entered the Stanford Hospital & Clinics in California where doctors ordered an angiogram to investigate an abnormal vein in Frankel’s brain to try to determine the cause of her headaches. When dye for the angiogram was injected into the blood vessels of her brain, Frankel suffered a stroke and fell into a coma, according to a news report of the case. As it turned out, the vein had nothing to do with the migraines and the angiogram had been unnecessary. When Frankel awoke from the coma, she was a quadriplegic. Now 48, she is confined to a wheelchair, has trouble with her speech and requires around-the-clock care. Stanford Hospital settled a lawsuit against it on the first day of trial. But the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, the healthcare provider which sent her to Stanford Hospital, fought the case to a jury verdict. After three days of deliberations, the jury handed down a $22 million award for Frankel. Learn more about medical malpractice lawsuits.