CHARLESTON – The estate of a Kanawha County woman blames an anesthesiologist for her death following surgery.
Terri Bell, as administratrix of the estate of Misha Jividen, filed her complaint October 1 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Dr. Nayana Megha.
The complaint says Jividen died October 4, 2024, from myocardial infarction caused by Megha’s negligence.
diTrapano
“The anesthesiologist discharged Ms. Jividen too soon and while she was still unstable,” attorney L. Dante diTrapano told The West Virginia Record. “This is something that should never happen.”
According to the complaint, Jividen went to Thomas Memorial Hospital on that day for left cataract surgery to have an intra-ocular lens placement by Dr. Stephen Cassis. Megha was the anesthesiologist for the procedure.
Jividen had a number of preexisting health conditions, such as atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease and pulmonary hypertension. Anesthesia was started at 2:07 p.m., according to the complaint, and stopped at 2:31 p.m.
During the procedure, Jividen’s blood pressure was charged at 85/40, 146/86, 117/66, 104/57, 102/51 and 95/47. She was given Versed, fentanyl, ephedrine, phenylephrine and more fentanyl. The complaint says nursing staff only charted her blood pressure one more time before she was discharged. It was 106/42 at 2:45 p.m.
She was discharged at 2:54 p.m. and told to return to Cassis’ office that day for follow-up care. But while traveling with her family shortly after discharge, she became unresponsive near CAMC Cancer Center in Charleston. Dispatch was notified at 3:24 p.m. of an unresponsive person at the cancer center, and a Charleston Fire Department crew responded.
When the crew arrived, cancer center staff members were performing compressions. Jividen was put on a monitor and found to be in pulseless electrical activity. She was transferred to CAMC Memorial and pronounced dead at 4:13 p.m. from myocardial infarction.
The complaint says Megha deviated from the standard of care, which constituted a proximate cause of Jividen’s injuries, deterioration, pain and suffering, emotional distress and death. It says Megha failed to properly monitor Jividen’s vitals post-anesthesia and discharged her in unstable condition.
The estate accuses Megha of negligence in violation of the West Virginia Medical Professional Liability Act.
It seeks compensatory damages, general damages, special damages, punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interests, court costs, attorney fees and other relief.
The estate is being represented by diTrapano, Timothy D. Houston and David H. Carriger of Calwell Luce diTrapano in Charleston and by Dr. Richard D. Lindsay of Tabor Lindsay & Associates in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Kenneth Ballard.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 25-C-1158
