In an unusual and distressing case, a man from the United States is suing Emory University Hospital in Atlanta after a critical piece of his skull was allegedly lost by hospital staff during a routine procedure. The patient, identified as Fernando Cluster, initially checked into the hospital in September 2022 due to an intracerebral hemorrhage, commonly referred to as a brain bleed. To alleviate the pressure on his brain, doctors determined that a 4.7-by-6-inch piece of his skull needed to be removed temporarily.
Two months later, when Mr. Cluster returned to the hospital for a scheduled procedure to reattach the removed skull fragment, the hospital staff could not locate it. According to reports, the fragment was lost amidst other unidentified bone fragments stored in the hospital’s freezer. A note in Cluster’s medical file revealed that the hospital could not identify his bone flap among the several with incomplete or missing patient identification.
As a result, the surgery was abruptly canceled, and the hospital fabricated a synthetic piece of the skull as a replacement. This left Mr. Cluster with a noticeable depression on the right side of his head while awaiting the new implant. The synthetic bone was eventually implanted in late November 2022, but not without a hefty price—Mr. Cluster was billed over $19,000 for the synthetic replacement.
Following the implant of the synthetic skull piece, Mr. Cluster experienced complications, including an infection that required additional surgery, leaving him temporarily unable to work. By the end of his ordeal, his medical bills had soared to over $146,800. Despite the hospital’s alleged negligence, no discounts or compensation were offered to Mr. Cluster and his wife.
The situation has prompted Mr. Cluster and his attorney, Chloe Dallaire, to seek compensation for both the medical expenses incurred and the emotional distress caused by the hospital’s actions. Dallaire expressed the family’s frustration, emphasizing that their main concern is the hospital’s cavalier attitude towards losing a part of Mr. Cluster’s body.
As the lawsuit moves forward, the Clusters hope to hold the hospital accountable for what they describe as an egregious error that has had a significant impact on their lives.
