New Jersey

A man in New Jersey was left partially paralysed after a healthcare startup failed to diagnose a blockage in his brain. He is now suing the company, The Independent reported.

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Prenuvo, a California-based company, has Kim Kardashian on its client list with several more celebrities endorsing it. 23andMe founder Anne Wojcicki is among its A-list investors.

The startup offers "an MRI like no other" which is counted as a boutique procedure not covered by insurance. It involves an AI-assisted full-body scan that will cost you $2,500.

Sean Clifford paid for the procedure in July 2023 hoping to get an accurate analysis. However, he claims that the company botched the diagnosis and gave him a clean chit. 

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The full body scan is supposed to check “for hundreds of conditions, including most solid tumours at Stage 1, and silent killers like aneurysms."

However, it failed to catch an anomaly in Clifford's brain and later he suffered a stroke.

"No evidence of proximal intracranial arterial aneurysm," the Prenuvo radiologist who read Clifford’s scan wrote in his chart.

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But, his diagnosis proved wrong and there was a blockage in Clifford’s brain. The lawsuit, obtained by The Independent, states that there was an “obvious” vascular blockage in Clifford’s brain and any qualified physician should have caught it. 

It further states that Clifford sustained "a full-blown catastrophic stroke… in the exact same area… where he had the Prenuvo scan". He has had to undergo three emergency brain surgeries to save his life.

Health complications

The other problems he is faced with include extensive paralysis on the left side of his body, permanent double vision and cognitive delays. He is unable to speak properly, has bladder control issues, and also has "profound neurological deficits".

Clifford's attorney Neal Bhushan told the publication, "[It] could have been prevented, had the MRI scan been properly interpreted."

A third-party neurologist hired by the family says the report "clearly shows" a 60 per cent narrowing of the proximal right middle cerebral artery.

Supermodel Cindy Crawford is one of the backers of the company, and Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton promote it, talking about it on social media. 

"The company has been generating buzz thanks to some of its high-profile clientele who have told millions of Instagram followers about the ‘life-saving machine,’” the lawsuit states.