ST. LOUIS – A Staunton, Illinois man alleges health care providers failed to recognize a knee prosthetic was wrongly implanted.
John Uzzell filed a complaint April 4 in the St. Louis Circuit Court against Barnes-Jewish Hospital, The Washington University, Dr. Rick W. Wright, Dr. Kirk L. Hippensteel, et al. alleging medical malpractice.
According to the complaint, in August 2015, Wright diagnosed the plaintiff with left knee osteoarthritis and Wright and Hippensteel performed total knee arthroplasty at Barnes Hospital in September 2015. The plaintiff alleges he remained under the defendants' care through April 2016 and his symptoms were not alleviated.
The plaintiff alleges the defendants failed to properly diagnose him and in September 2017, he underwent a total revision of the knee arthroplasty because the first implant was misaligned by 10 degrees.
The plaintiff holds Barnes-Jewish Hospital, The Washington University, Wright, Hippensteel, et al. responsible because the defendants allegedly failed to properly perform total knee arthroplasty, failed to perform diagnostic testing to determine the misalignment of the prosthetic device and failed to recognize and treat plaintiff's deteriorating conditions.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment against the defendants of more than $25,000, plus costs expended herein and all other relief that are proper and just. He is represented by Kenneth L. Halvachs and Ronald J. Abernathy Jr. of Halvachs & Abernathy LLC in Belleville, Illinois.
St. Louis Circuit Court case number 1822-CC00662