Terry Pedri v. HHS - Influenza, left shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) (2023)

Terry Pedri, a 55-year-old adult, received an influenza vaccine on October 14, 2015. She filed a petition alleging a left shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA).

Pedri claimed the injury occurred immediately after the vaccination, causing severe pain and loss of range of motion. She submitted an affidavit detailing her symptoms and an expert report from Dr.

Naveed Natanzi, who opined that Pedri suffered from SIRVA due to potential needle overpenetration and an inflammatory response. The respondent, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, argued that Pedri's claim did not meet the criteria for a Table SIRVA.

The respondent pointed to the delayed onset of symptoms reported in medical records (approximately seven weeks post-vaccination), the presence of widespread pain in other joints (back, knees, hands, hips), and the diagnosis of fibromyalgia by her treating physicians, including Dr. Bruce Cohn and Dr.

Maika Del Mar. Respondent's expert, Dr.

Geoffrey Abrams, supported the fibromyalgia diagnosis based on the American College of Rheumatology criteria. The Special Master reviewed the evidence and found that Pedri did not establish a Table SIRVA claim because her symptom onset was not clearly within 48 hours, her pain was not limited to the shoulder, and an alternative condition (fibromyalgia) was present.

The Special Master also found that Pedri failed to prove an off-Table claim, as her symptoms extended beyond the shoulder and the medical records overwhelmingly supported a fibromyalgia diagnosis, not the alleged SIRVA. Consequently, Pedri's petition was dismissed.