This defense case illustrated that significant underlying structural disease in the heart and the lungs was the cause of death for the patient. On autopsy the patient had emphysema, anthracosis (black lung), pneumonitis, cardiomegaly, mitral and tricuspid valve disease, and coronary artery disease. Details and measurements were taken directly from the autopsy reports. The plaintiffs claimed an allergic reaction caused the patient’s death. Repeated administration of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation cephalosporins over the patient’s lifetime made an allergic reaction unlikely as shown in the last panel.
