Nurse sues Hopkins doctor for alleged assault with contaminated fluids

A Johns Hopkins nurse has sued a doctor assault for allegedly intentionally spraying him with a patient’s contaminated fluids.

Benjamin Waldbaum claims Martin Slodzinksi “felt comfortable carrying out such a heinous act because the hospital tolerates an environment of hazing and abuse by attending physicians,” according to the complaint, filed Thursday in Baltimore City Circuit Court.

Waldbaum’s attorney, Ari Casper, said the hospital has failed to take the incident seriously and “isn’t giving it the attention that something this serious deserves.”

A spokesperson for Johns Hopkins said Friday the defendants “take these allegations very seriously” but declined to comment on the litigation.

On June 14, Waldbaum was assisting Slodzinski, an anesthesiologist, with an operation and paged him when the patient was prepped for surgery, according to the complaint. Slodzinski made comments about making the patient feel high and told Waldbaum to “shut up” before he unscrewed a syringe from the patient’s IV and sprayed fluid, according to the complaint.

“Plaintiff was left covered in contaminated fluid, feeling shocked, helpless, disgusted, fearful, and worried about contracting illness and disease,” according to the complaint.

Casper, of The Casper Firm LLC in Baltimore, declined to provide specifics about the patient’s illness or the fluid, citing privacy laws, but said there is “no dispute that the fluid in the syringe was contaminated.”

Waldbaum alleges assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress against Slodzinski and the hospital. He also claims negligent retention and supervision against the hospital.

Slodzinski also is the compliance officer for his department and lectures about safety issues at the hospital, according to the complaint.

“To me it’s difficult to determine which is more shocking: that Dr. Slodzinski may have senselessly exposed Mr. Waldbaum to a blood-borne pathogen or that Johns Hopkins didn’t discipline him,” Casper said.

The case is Benjamin Waldbaum v. Martin Slodzinski M.D. et al.