A young man presented to the emergency department at Valley Medical Center in Renton, Washington for a biopsy of a mass in his mediastinum.

The mass was biopsied but the surgeon mistakenly lacerated the esophagus and this condition remained undiagnosed for several days.  After the biopsy, the patient left the hospital in pain and returned several hours later in with horrific low back pain and crepitus in his neck.

Eventually the patient was hospitalized and cervical films showed air in the neck which was noted but the significance of which was ignored. Over the next day, the symptoms increased and additional films showed the air expanding in the cervical area and into the mediastinum along with a small pneumothorax.

The client developed a fever and became septic. After placement of a chest tube, which showed a brown fluid, and after the patient’s fever continued to climb, the surgeon called other physicians in to take a look at the client. Three days after the biopsy, the client was rushed to the University of Washington and he underwent life saving surgery to repair the esophageal perforation which was undiagnosed by Valley for this period of time.

The client almost died due to sepsis but was miraculously saved by Dr. Vallieres, a surgeon, who is now at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. The case settled at mediation after years of litigation.