Published on nashvillepost.com (http://nashvillepost.com)

Slew of docs sued for $12M in negligence lawsuit

Slew of docs sued for $12M in negligence lawsuit [1]

VUMC mentioned in complaint but not named as defendant
Published April 10, 2012 by Philip Nannie

In a complaint lacking in detail but making up for it with a curious approach, a group of six local physicians have been sued in Davidson County Circuit Court by a former patient accusing the doctors of negligence related to the care he received nearly two years ago during a stay at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The $12 million lawsuit [2] filed April 5 by Lyndon F. Bostic and his unnamed wife accuse Richard Miller, George Avant, Terrence Smith, Joseph Diggs, Oliver Gunter and Jamii St. Julien of varying forms of negligence and substandard medical care allegedly given to Bostic over a period of months beginning with a VUMC emergency room visit in October 2009.

Prior to that ER stay, Bostic had been complaining for weeks of chronic back pain and constipation. He was subsequently diagnosed with a small bowel obstruction. Surgery was performed by VUMC physician Bryan Collier following that October 2009 ER visit. Collier is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

However, an obstruction was not found in Bostic’s abdomen. After multiple colonoscopies’ and other procedures conducted over a period of months, Bostic was finally diagnosed with an incarcerated parastomal hernia. That find called for immediate surgery in the late fall of 2010, which appeared to do the job:  After a November 2010 office visit, Bostic was given an evaluation of “appearing quite healthy,” according to the complaint.

But Bostic’s condition still did not improve. He had lost 60 pounds to that point and the pain resulting from some form of obstruction continued.

The complaint alludes to Bostic having some difficulty obtaining his medical records. When he eventually did, a review showed that Bostic’s body has been retaining stool for the past nine months. Beyond the filing of his suit, it’s not clear what has happened to Bostic since that finding. Bostic is being represented by Nashville attorney R.A. Stewart with the  Stewart Johnson Conner & Manson law firm. Stewart was not available for comment Tuesday.