Published: May 04, 2007 10:51 pm      

Local court case to be topic on ‘Good Morning America’

An attorney who filed a wrongful death suit in Raleigh County Circuit Court accusing a local anesthesiology firm of leaving a man conscious but paralyzed during surgery said he has been told by “Good Morning America” a story about the case will air during the show’s first hour Monday.

Tony O’Dell said the ABC program recently interviewed him and his clients concerning their case against Raleigh Anesthesia Associates, which the plaintiffs blame for causing a psychological condition that ultimately resulted in their father’s suicide.

It’s not the only national media attention the local story has received. Since The Register-Herald broke the story April 7, it has appeared in newspapers and magazines worldwide.

“I’ve answered e-mails from London, Anchorage, and been interviewed by CNN and several radio talk shows,” O’Dell said. “It’s been really amazing, and that’s what the family wanted — to shine a light on this problem.”

The suit claims Sherman Sizemore, a local Baptist minister, was paralyzed but fully aware of what was occurring for 16 minutes after the first incision of an exploratory laparotomy at Raleigh General Hospital on Jan. 19, 2006. The plaintiffs believe the uncharacteristic behavior Sizemore experienced — such as being afraid of being alone and being buried alive — in the days following the procedure were symptoms of a psychological condition that stemmed from the trauma of his anesthesia awareness and caused his suicide two weeks later.

The complaint says medical records indicate the anesthesiologists gave Sizemore paralytic — or neuromuscular — agents which rendered him unable to move, speak or communicate, but then neglected to provide him inhalational anesthesia — the agent that renders a patient unconscious and unable to experience pain — until several minutes into the surgery.

No one ever told Sizemore — who had never suffered from any psychological or psychiatric conditions prior to Jan. 19, 2006 — what had happened, the complaint says. Nor did anyone provide medical attention for his psychological injuries. He was never sure if what he thought happened had really happened, and it tormented him to the point that he took his life.

The lawsuit states the defendants should have told Sizemore about their error and offered him follow-up care because of the “ominous signs of psychological injuries,” which are recognized in the medical community and associated with anesthesia awareness.

Anesthesia awareness is known to occur approximately 20,000 to 40,000 times each year in the United States and is closely associated with patients experiencing post-surgical mental distress and the development of other psychological conditions, including but not limited to post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

— E-mail:

bnaudrey@register-herald.com