$2.5 Million to Family of Transplant Recipient Who Died During Biopsy

An Ohio jury has awarded $2.5 million to the family of a liver transplant patient who died during a liver biopsy at the Cleveland Clinic.

Fahima Seleman, 62, of Toledo, who received a liver transplant in 1996, went back to the hospital in 1998 for the outpatient procedure, which involves inserting a neele-like instrument to take a tiny tissue sample for testing.

The doctor missed the liver and instead pierced Seleman's lung. She died of internal bleeding within minutes.

The attorney for the family argued that under the hospital's own policy, the young doctor -- who had performed only three previous biopsies -- was not sufficiently experienced to perform a biopsy on a transplant patient.

Lawyers for the Cleveland Clinic contended that the procedure was done correctly, but as doctor inserted the needle, Seleman took a breath, shifting the position of the liver and lung. The doctor is no longer with the hospital.