Joplin woman files malpractice lawsuit against Freeman

The care provided for a Joplin woman following a stent placement procedure at Freeman Heart and Vascular Institute left her with "severe, substantial and permanent injuries to her right forearm, wrist and hand," according to a malpractice lawsuit filed Friday in Jasper County Circuit Court.

The injuries were the result of the use of a pneumatic compression bandage on Royce Ruddick's wrist, after a stent was placed in a coronary artery by inserting a catheter through a radial artery in her wrist on August 3, 2023. The bandage was placed on her wrist toward the end of the procedure, according to the petition.

The lawsuit claims the bandage was too tight, that Freeman did not monitor Ruddick's hand and wrist while the bandage was in place and did not respond to Ruddick's "complaints regarding pain and swelling in the right hand while the compression bandage or vasc band was in place."

 Freeman employees also failed to "timely or frequently" check Ruddick's signs and symptoms of distress including pain, tingling or numbness, coolness or color change, bleeding, swelling or hematoma at the bandage site and oxygen saturation of the right thumb, according to the petition.

The only defendant listed in the lawsuit is Freeman-Oak Hill Health System.

The lawsuit, which was filed by Joplin attorney Scott Vorhees of Johnson, Vorhees and Martucci, calls for a "fair and reasonable" judgment and costs and asks for a jury trial.