Blizzard Law, PLLC filed a petition on behalf of nine-year-old Millie Barr and her parents for life-altering damages caused by Daniel J. Curry, M.D. (“Dr. Curry”), Texas Children’s Hospital (“Texas Children’s”), and Monteris Medical in Harris County Civil District Court.

On August 7, 2018, Millie Barr, a nine-year-old child, suffered a massive hemorrhage in her brain eighteen days after having a “minimally-invasive” laser ablation surgery performed by Dr. Curry at Texas Children’s to treat her epilepsy. Unbeknownst to Millie and her parents, Dr. Curry performed the surgery with a laser probe manufactured by Monteris Medical Company that had been recalled by the FDA just months earlier due to the unanticipated heating of surrounding brain tissue. Millie suffered a bleed during the surgery but was discharged just days later without a thorough evaluation of the damage done to the blood vessels in her brain. Eighteen days after her surgery, while in Florida with her family, a “pseudoaneurysm” in her brain ruptured and Millie was required to have multiple surgeries and procedures just to save her life. Although her life was saved, the brain bleed and the procedures required to treat it left Millie with no short term memory and severe vision loss, as well as other cognitive and motor deficits.

NeuroBlate Medical Device Recall

NeuroBlate Laser Delivery Probes are small, carbon dioxide (CO2)-cooled catheters that allow minimally invasive entry into a patient’s brain. The probes are part of the Monteris Medical NeuroBlate System, which is used during surgical procedures to remove (ablate), thicken or solidify (coagulate), or destroy (necrotize) cells in the brain tissue. The FDA initiated a formal Class I Recall of the device on October 5, 2017, sending a letter to physicians using the device on March 22, 2018, noting, “health care providers should strongly consider treating patients using alternative procedures if available.”

Mere weeks after Millie Barr’s catastrophic surgery results, Monteris Medical, the manufacturer of the recalled device used during her brain surgery, issued an announcement regarding the safety – or lack thereof – of its device. In pertinent part, the announcement notes the device’s metal thermocouple was replaced with a non-metallic fiber optic temperature sensor to improve its safety profile and to allegedly prevent overheating the targeted tissue. In addition to the new temperature sensor, the updated NeoruBlate System features TruTemp™ Technology, which increases the device’s accuracy and safety.

Ed Blizzard stated, “Millie Barr’s parents traveled all the way to Houston from Israel on the promise of a safer medical treatment for their child at Texas Children’s. Unfortunately, Dr. Curry and the hospital negligently used a recalled and defective device to treat the child, against the recommendation of the FDA, and without informing her parents. The life of a little girl was forever changed and we will hold those responsible accountable in court.”

NeuroBlate Injury Lawsuit Lawyers

Blizzard is no stranger to working hard in court on behalf of injured children and their families. He has served in high-profile national leadership positions in various litigations affecting children, including birth defect litigation against the manufacturers of anti-depressant medications. Blizzard and attorney Anna Greenberg will be taking the case to trial.