A Harris County couple has filed a lawsuit against a local anesthesiologist, alleging severe medical negligence that left one of them in a vegetative state. On June 5, 2024, plaintiffs Chad Alan Warner and Elizabeth Warner filed their complaint in the District Court of Harris County, Texas, against Dr. Matthew John Maxwell.
The tragic series of events began on November 14, 2023, when Chad Alan Warner visited his cardiologist for shortness of breath and chest tightness. Diagnosed with atrial flutter and referred to Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital (HMTW), Mr. Warner underwent a cardiac ablation procedure the following day under the care of Dr. Maxwell. According to the filing, during the induction of anesthesia by Dr. Maxwell and his team, Mr. Warner was administered 200 milligrams of propofol and 200 micrograms of fentanyl intravenously, which led to an immediate cardiac arrest.
"Immediately Mr. Warner went into asystole," states the complaint, describing how his heart stopped beating and necessitated chest compressions for approximately 16 minutes before spontaneous circulation returned. Despite efforts including an intracardiac echocardiogram and placement on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), Mr. Warner suffered severe brain damage due to prolonged lack of oxygen.
Since then, Chad Alan Warner has not regained consciousness and remains in a vegetative state requiring constant medical care. His wife Elizabeth has taken on full-time caregiving responsibilities while he resides in a nursing home.
The plaintiffs accuse Dr. Maxwell of multiple counts of negligence: failing to perform a thorough preoperative evaluation, inadequately monitoring during anesthesia induction, not tailoring the anesthetic plan to Mr. Warner's unique medical conditions, and failing to respond promptly to deteriorating vital signs.
As stated in their petition: "Dr. Matthews was negligent when he deviated from the standard of care in multiple ways." They further allege that these failures directly resulted in Mr. Warner's cardiac arrest and subsequent brain injury.
The Warners are seeking substantial damages exceeding $1 million for past and future medical expenses, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of earning capacity, loss of household services, loss of consortium among other claims.
Represented by attorney Randall O. Sorrels from Sorrels Law Firm, the plaintiffs have requested both pre-judgment and post-judgment interest as authorized by law along with all costs associated with bringing this suit forward.
This case is presided over by Judge Rhonda Momon under Case ID 2024-35599 at the District Court in Harris County.