A Houston veteran has filed a lawsuit against the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, alleging that years of negligent medical treatment led to irreversible kidney damage.
Scottie Levias, a veteran, and his wife, Ursella Levias, have filed a lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act against the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston. The lawsuit alleges that medical negligence at the facility resulted in irreversible kidney damage for Levias.
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According to the complaint, VA doctors prescribed and continued to administer nephrotoxic medications, specifically NSAIDs, to Levias over several years despite indications of worsening kidney disease. The lawsuit claims that this led to Levias developing end-stage renal failure, requiring him to undergo dialysis for the remainder of his life.
The Levias family’s attorney, Laurie Higginbotham, said that the VA’s prescription of NSAIDs over 4.5 years, including two heavy doses administered in the hospital, occurred despite FDA warnings about the potential for serious kidney damage from overuse of these drugs.
The lawsuit points to an alleged failure by VA healthcare providers to offer timely and necessary treatments that could have slowed or reversed the progression of Mr. Levias’ kidney disease. As a result, the lawsuit claims that Levias will require lifelong medical care due to the severity of the kidney damage.
KPRC 2 has reached out to the The Office of Public Affairs for comment.