Widow blames Charleston physicians for husband's death

CHARLESTON - A Wyoming County woman is suing two Charleston physicians after she claims they are responsible for her husband's death.

Drs. Cheryl A. Cox and Srinivasan Narasimhan were named as defendants in the suit.

On Sept. 29, 2011, Randall Reid began vomiting blood while at work and was taken to Boone Memorial Hospital, according to a complaint filed Oct. 28 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Kathy Reid claims her husband was diagnosed with an upper gastrointestinal bleed and gastric ulcer and was transferred to Charleston Area Medical Center.

At CAMC, Randall Reid's hemoglobin was low and he required a blood transfusion, but he was hemodynamically stable, the complaint says. A nasogastric tube was placed and bright red blood was suctioned out of his stomach, according to the suit.

Kathy Reid claims Cox, a gastroenterologist, was consulted and on Sept. 30, 2011, she performed an endoscopy and found a deepened irregular based ulcer in the proximal body/fundus of the stomach.

During the endoscopy, Cox also found an adherent clot and did not irrigate it, according to the suit.

Kathy Reid claims because Cox did not irrigate the adherent clot and consider the characteristics of Randall Reid's ulcer, she could not appropriately assess his risk of re-bleeding.

Cox had a duty to appropriately assess Randall Reid's risk of re-bleeding so that she could implement the appropriate method of treatment for him, according to the suit.

Kathy Reid claims on Oct. 1, 2011, Narasimhan was consulted for Randall Reid's cardiac status and found no acute cardiac condition and stated that he would start him on 81mg of Aspirin per day and see how he does.

Despite his plan to order 81mg of Aspirin per day, Narasimhan wrote an order for 162mg of Aspirin per day, according to the suit.

Kathy Reid claims it was not safe for Randall Reid to be placed and maintained on 162mg of Aspirin per day because it placed him at risk for re-bleeding.

Randall Reid was discharged on Oct. 4, 2011, and later that day, began vomiting massive amounts of blood and was rushed to the hospital, the complaint says. However, he died from exsanguination from his bleeding ulcer, according to the suit.

Kathy Reid claims the defendants were negligent and deviated from the appropriate standard of medical care in the care and treatment of her husband.

Kathy Reid is seeking compensatory damages. She is being represented by Tony L. O'Dell and Cheryl A. Fisher of Tiano O'Dell PLLC and James R. Akers II of Akers Law Offices PLLC.

The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge James C. Stucky.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 13-C-2023