Medical malpractice is common in hospitals across the world – not just in the United States. Unfortunately, few patients know that they are the victim of malpractice. In medical history, there have been some distributing errors that have been committed – and some even claim patient lives. This article featured on HealthAim focuses on some of those mistakes.
What are the Most Disturbing Error Cases in Recent Years?
As a patient, you should do your due diligence and always be aware of what procedures you are consenting to, as well as the process for those procedures – whether surgical or not. These recent cases should be considered motivation to do just that:
- A man remains aware and feels pain during surgery. This isn’t uncommon. In fact, it happens often. In this case, a Baptist minister from West Virginia actually had anesthesia awareness, which means he could feel everything that was going on during the surgical procedure. But, he could not tell the physicians that he was feeling the pain, because he was paralyzed. This occurred because he was not given the anesthetic that made him unconscious.
- Ketchup packets and towels found inside a patient. Another patient from Arizona died due to unopened ketchup packets and towels that were found inside his stomach. The man was suffering from a traumatic brain injury and lived in an assisted living facility.
- Surgeons left surgical tools inside of a patient. This does occur at an alarming rate in the United States. Surgeons will accidentally leave surgical equipment, including scalpels and clamps, inside the patient; it could lead to complications or even death.
- Wrong limb being amputated. Wrong-site surgeries are becoming increasingly common in the United States and there is no excuse for it. In this case, the doctors at a prestigious hospital in Tampa, Florida accidentally amputated the wrong leg of a patient.
- Physicians misdiagnosed cancer. Medical misdiagnosis and failure to diagnose is the number one cause of malpractice in the United States. In this case, a doctor found a large lump inside his patient’s jaw. Further examination revealed she only had a few months to live. The doctors then advised the patient that she could live longer if she agreed to remove the left side of her chin. She agreed and was left disfigured. It was later discovered that she never actually had cancer – the doctors misdiagnosed and forced her into a procedure that left her permanently disfigured for nothing.
- Wrong type of pec implants is used. A bodybuilder had elected to have pec implants placed in his body. After the procedure, he realized he received the wrong implants and was actually given C-cup breast implants.
Berkowitz and Hanna LLC – Your Advocates for Medical Malpractice
If you or a loved one has been injured because of a medical error, you could be entitled to compensation. Whether it is a wrong-site surgery, misdiagnosis, painful and unnecessary procedures, etc., our attorneys are here to help. Contact Berkowitz and Hanna LLC today to schedule a no-obligation case evaluation. Call 866-479-7909 or contact us online to get started.
