IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE KAREN I. MILLER, Individually and as Representative of the Estate of LOIS V. CARD, KRISTI WRIGHT, and ERKKI M. AKKOLA, Plaintiffs, CHRISTIANA CARE HEALTH, SERVICES, INC., IPC HEALTHCARE INC., and MEGHANA DHAMDHERE, M.D., Ph.D., ) ) ) ) ) § v. ) C.A. NO.: N16C-09-115 AML § ,) JURY TRIAL OF 12 DEMANDED ) ) ) Defendants. ) Submitted: June 21, 2018 Decided: September 28, 2018 Upon CCHS’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment: DENIED 1. This medical negligence action arises from treatment a patient received in the emergency room after experiencing severe chest pain. Among other claims not at issue in this motion, Plaintiffs contend the tWo emergency room doctors Who treated the patient negligently failed to diagnose her aortic dissection. The hospital has moved for summary judgment as to the negligence claims against the emergency room doctors, arguing Plaintiffs’ experts are not qualified to testify regarding the standard of care applicable to emergency room physicians The issue presented in the pending motion is Whether Plaintiffs may rely on the expert opinions of two doctors Who are not experienced in emergency medicine. Those doctors have testified that the standard of care for diagnosing aortic dissection is the same regardless of the treating doctor’s specialty or the setting in Which care is administered Because l find Plaintiffs have shown that their experts are qualified to testify regarding the standard of care, I deny the motion for partial summary judgment. FACTUAL & PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND 2. The following facts are drawn from the complaint. Lois Card was admitted to the Emergency Room at Christiana Care Health Services’ Wilmington Hospital on the morning of March 1, 2015, after experiencing severe chest pain and difficulty breathing The receiving nurse noted Card continued to experience chest pain, headache, and non-radiating bilateral pain in her arms. After evaluation by an emergency physician, an EKG showed Card had an irregular heart rate. A chest x-ray showed mild vascular congestion, and a cardiac enzyme test showed a negative troponin reading. At noon that day, Card’s care was transferred to IPC Healthcare and Dr. Dhamdhere, where Card was diagnosed with chest discomfort and atrial fibrillation. The same day, at approximately 5:00 p.m., Card came under the care of Dr. Kathryn Groner, who determined Card needed to be transferred to the hospital’s heart unit.l Before Card could be transferred, however, she became l Neither the complaint nor the parties’ briefs discuss when Card came under the care of Nitowski or what manner of treatment he provided. Dr. Nitowski is, however, noted as treating 2 unresponsive. Card’s condition deteriorated and she was pronounced dead at approximately 7:30 p.m. Card is survived by her children, Karen Miller, Kristi Wright, and Erkki Al