November 2, 2010: Family Alleges Improper Monotoring

Dr. George McMillan

The family of 32-year-old Lisa Marie Fusco sued Dr. George McMillan and Brooklyn Ambulatory Physician Associates on behalf of her surviving child after she died from abortion complications.

Lisa had gone to Ambulatory Surgery Center of Brooklyn on October 26, 2010. Staff performed an ultrasound and did blood tests preparatory for an abortion. She returned on October 27, when staff inserted laminaria for an abortion and packed her vagina with gauze. 

Lisa returned to Ambulatory Surgery Center on October 28 to undergo a D&E abortion. 

According to the lawsuit, the procedure was not performed properly, causing an unspecified injury. Failure to properly monitor and care for Lisa led to her decompensation -- meaning that her body was trying to maintain blood pressure and adequate perfusion but was unable to do so, causing her condition to deteriorate rapidly. The suit also asserted that the abortion was in some way contraindicated, meaning that Lisa had some medical condition that either meant that it was unsafe to perform an abortion in an outpatient setting or that it was unsafe to perform an abortion at all. 

Lisa's condition continued to deteriorate, leading to her death on November 2, 2010.

Nicey WashingtonNicey Washington had died after an abortion at Ambulatory Surgery Center ten years earlier. 

Sources:

• Kings County Supreme Court Index 2012E