Gideon Asen Files Suit on Behalf of Young Man Paralyzed from Delayed Diagnosis of Cauda Equina Syndrome

In December, Gideon Asen filed a lawsuit against Eastern Maine Medical Center alleging that a delay in diagnosing cauda equina syndrome resulted in permanent paralysis to then thirty-six-year-old Travis Getchell. Getchell went to EMMC after suffering excruciating back pain and numbness moving into both legs when his back “popped” taking out the trash. Within an hour of arrival at the hospital, the PA identified his condition at possible cauda equina syndrome and ordered a STAT MRI. Although the MRI resulted in an hour and confirmed the diagnosis, EMMC left Travis in the waiting area without assigning him a doctor for a total of six hours—and three hours after the MRI results became available. When the ED finally contacted neurosurgery, the neurosurgeon declined to come in and delayed surgery until the following afternoon. Travis continues to require leg braces to ambulate and suffers from lack of control of his bowel and bladder.

Read the complaint