Malpractice Suit Filed Over Pulmonary Embolism from Yasmin After Surgery

A Florida man has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit alleging that his wife died following plastic surgery as a result of a pulmonary embolism caused by Yasmin, which could have been prevented if her doctors had removed her from the birth control before the elective procedure.

The complaint was filed by David Boon on July 16, in the Fourth Circuit Court of Duval County, Florida. Boon’s wife, Brook, died on August 12, 2011, due to a blood clot ater plastic surgery, which was allegedly caused by side effects of Yasmin birth control.

Defendants named in the lawsuit include Dr. Daniel M. Calloway and Dr. Gary A. Glicksteen, as well as the Internal Medicine Group, Inc., also known as Baptist Primary Care, Inc.

Brook Boon came under the treatment of Dr. Calloway on July 5, 2011 for a plastic surgery consultation and was subsequently seen by Dr. Glicksteen at Internal Medical Group for preoperative clearance before the elective surgery. Neither doctor removed her from the birth control pills, according to allegations in the complaint.

Following surgery on August 9, 2011, Brook Boon died from a pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot that breaks free and travels to the lungs.

The medical malpractice lawsuit was brought on behalf of David Boon and the couple’s two minor children, alleging that the doctors should have taken Brooke Boon off of the birth control pill before surgery. The complaint points out that the proper standard of medical care outlined in the Physician’s Desk Reference indicates that “oral contraceptives should be discontinued at least four weeks prior to and for two weeks after elective surgery.”

While all oral birth control pills carry an increased risk of blood clots and pulmonary embolism, the controversial Yasmin pill, which features a fourth-generation progestin known as drospirenone, has been linked to a particularly high risk.

Bayer, the manufacturer of the pill, currently faces thousands of Yasmin lawsuits brought on behalf of women who suffered a pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, stroke or other blood clot injury that was allegedly caused by drospirenone. The complaints allege that the drug maker failed to adequately warn consumers or the medical community about the increased risk of blood clots from drospirenone. Similar complaints have been filed against the drug maker by users of their other drospirenon-based birth control pills, including Yaz and Beyaz.