Opinion ID: 1850445
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Whether the Hospital Was Entitled to a Directed Verdict on the Issue of Wrongful Death.

Text: A. Standard of review. The court reviews a challenge to the denial of a motion for a directed verdict for correction of errors at law. Heinz v. Heinz, 653 N.W.2d 334, 338 (Iowa 2002). The evidence is considered in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Id. If there is substantial evidence in the record to support each element of a claim, the motion for directed verdict must be overruled. Id. Additionally, if reasonable minds could reach different conclusions based upon the evidence presented, the issue is properly submitted to the jury. Id. B. Discussion. The hospital asserts that it was entitled to a directed verdict on three grounds: (1) the submission of a wrongful-death claim was inconsistent with the district court's refusal to submit a claim for lost chance of survival; (2) the evidence was insufficient to show the hospital did not provide the necessary standard of care; and (3) the evidence was insufficient to show that the hospital's omissions, if any, were a proximate cause of the death of plaintiff's decedent. 1. Consequence of denying lost-chance-of-survival claim. We are convinced the fact that the district court did not submit a claim for lost chance of survival is of no legal consequence in determining whether a wrongful-death claim was properly submitted. Submission of the wrongful-death claim had to be determined on the merits of that claim and the proof of the respective elements of a wrongful-death action. The court's refusal to submit a claim for lost chance of survival, even if inconsistent, would not preclude submission of a claim for wrongful death if the latter claim had support in the evidence. [1] 2. Evidence of breach of the applicable standard of care. The plaintiff offered the testimony of Dr. Raphael, a trauma surgeon. This witness was asked the following questions: Q. Now, Doctor let's talk about the emergency response. Do you have an opinion as to whether or not the care that Mr. Wolbers received after he went into respiratory arrest was adequate and complied with the proper standard of medical care? A. Well, my opinion is that the answer to that is no on several counts. Q. And can you tell us in what ways his emergency room care fell below the standard of care? A. I just felt that the emergency room doctor didn't act like he had the ability to go any further if he once were unable to intubate the patient and in this case because he couldn't see where he was and for whatever reason he wasn't able to move that material out of the way so he could see.... [A]ll you have to do is stick a needle in that neck if that's what you need to do to get some air in there temporarily, so I think there was a lot of deficiency in the management of the patient. We are satisfied that this evidence was sufficient to allow the jury to find the hospital vicariously liable for the failure of its emergency-room physician to comply with the applicable standard of care. 3. Proximate cause. On the issue of proximate cause, Dr. Raphael was asked the following question: Q. I'm asking you for an answer to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, can you testify as to whether or not it was more likely than not that had an airway been successfully established as you would have  as the standard of care you have required  would Mr. Wolbers have survived? A. Again, it depends how late in the course because there's a point after which brain death intervenes, but had the airway been established and they had a viable patient, I think they could have brought him back yes. In response to a later question, Dr. Raphael testified: On the assumption that the people were in place at the time of the arrest and they established an airway, I think without a doubt he would have been survivable, yes.... I would say somewhere in the neighborhood of six minutes, seven minutes, eight minutes, perhaps ten minutes at the outside, you might have brain damage, but you would have a live patient. We believe that this testimony was sufficient to permit the jury to find that inadequate emergency response by the hospital emergency-room staff was the proximate cause of the death of plaintiff's decedent.