Board Approves Univ. of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Malpractice Settlements

State officials have agreed to pay nearly $400,000 to settle two medical malpractice lawsuits stemming from treatments at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in 2004.

The State Appeals Board approved a $300,000 settlement in the case of a mother who alleged that anesthesiologists negligently administered pain relief before a knee surgery.

The board approved a separate $91,000 settlement with the family of a man who died following an extended stay at the hospital. The family claimed he died after developing an infection as a result of negligent treatment after a complicated procedure to treat a heart aneurysm.

Both settlements resolve pending lawsuits that were originally filed in 2007 and denied wrongdoing by the hospital or its employees.