Silenced Medical Alarms Leave First-Time Mother with Permanent Brain Damage

What should have been a joyous first-time birth experience for 32-year-old Estefania Mesa became a medical nightmare at Hoboken University Medical Center in July 2020. Mesa, who entered the hospital expecting to deliver her first child, now requires round-the-clock care after suffering a heart attack during an emergency C-section. Court testimony revealed that anesthesiologist Dr. Selvia Zaklama had muted crucial warning alarms, preventing other medical staff from recognizing Mesa’s rapidly failing vital signs.

5 Key Points

  • Estefania Mesa suffered cardiac arrest during a C-section after anesthesiologist Dr. Selvia Zaklama silenced vital monitoring equipment.
  • Mesa spent five months in intensive care before being transferred to rehabilitation, where she remains unable to speak or eat solid food.
  • Hospital staff reported Dr. Zaklama’s harsh treatment of Mesa was so severe that a nurse urged Mesa’s fiancé to file a complaint.
  • CarePoint Hospital actively hindered the investigation by making it difficult to obtain crucial medical documents.
  • The $11.9M settlement is divided among CarePoint ($10M), Dr. Zaklama ($900,000), and Hudson Anesthesiology Services ($1M).

Muted Alarms and Missed Warning Signs

On July 20, 2020, Mesa arrived for delivery at Hoboken University Medical Center. When monitors detected her unborn daughter in distress, doctors rushed her for an emergency C-section. Dr. Zaklama then silenced the Mindray DPM 7 Vital Sign Monitor—equipment designed to alert staff to life-threatening changes. Medical staff in Operating Room 2 later testified they had no access to these vital readings, leaving them blind to Mesa’s deteriorating condition until she suffered cardiac arrest.

Mother Trapped in Semi-Conscious State

Mesa now lives at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in Saddle Brook, dependent on medical staff for survival. A feeding tube in her abdominal wall provides liquid nutrition, as she cannot swallow solid food. Though she can track movement and recognize her fiancé, Eduardo Argueta, and their daughter, Emma, she cannot speak, walk, or care for herself. Her four-year-old daughter Emma, delivered during that fatal procedure, lives with her father in Hudson County, knowing her mother only through rehabilitation center visits.

CarePoint’s Record of Dangerous Decisions

Court records exposed CarePoint Hospital’s pattern of negligent staffing choices. The hospital granted her privileges despite Dr. Zaklama’s documented history of questionable medical decisions. CarePoint stonewalled document requests when investigators sought answers, revealing what attorneys called “deceitful and sordid practices.” This behavior and the hospital’s financial instability suggest a broader pattern of administrative failures.

Financial Protection for Lifelong Care

Superior Court Judge Joseph R. Turula structured the settlement to guarantee care for both Mesa and her daughter. Once funds arrive, Mesa’s legal team will move her to a nursing facility near her family. The trusts established through this settlement will cover Mesa’s extensive medical needs and secure her daughter Emma’s future while addressing the massive legal costs incurred during the battle for justice.