A Florida jury has awarded more than 3.8 Million Dollars to a woman who suffered a brain injury after having a large intravenous tube removed before she was about to be released and sent home. Kathleen Leer, 54 years of age, was a chronic pain patient who had been admitted because of a dislodged catheter in her lower back. After an operation to replace the catheter, she developed complications and was kept at the hospital for several more days. When she was recovered enough to go home, before discharge, a nurse removed the intravenous central line which is an IV put into the large veins of the upper chest or neck. This caused an air embolism which in turn caused a stroke and brain damage. Leer has been left with left-sided paralysis and a significant decrease in mental functioning, such that she requires 24-hour care.