A settlement has been reached in a Kentucky medical malpractice case. Latricia Satterwhite had surgery on her mitral valve by Dr. Michael Sekela of Surgical Associates of Lexington in 2006. During the operation, Dr. Sekela misplaced the cannula, the hose of a machine that pumped Ms. Satterwhite’s blood, causing too much blood and oxygen to be pumped to her right hand and too little to her brain and thoracic spinal cord. As a result, Ms. Satterwhite is now a paraplegic and has moderate brain damage. Dr. Sekela was found to be 31% responsible for Ms. Satterwhite’s injuries. The anesthesiologist was 23% at fault, and the operator of the heart-lung machine was found to be 41% liable. Ms. Satterwhite was awarded a total of $9.89 million. This verdict may be the largest medical malpractice verdict to date in Kentucky’s Fayette County.