Lawsuit Filed Against Surgeon for Operating on Wrong Side of Brain

On April 30, 2013, a woman filed a lawsuit against a health care center and a neurosurgeon for allegedly operating on the wrong side of her brain. The 53 year-old woman was supposed to have a left-side craniotomy bypass, but instead received a right-side craniotomy bypass. The woman received the incorrect surgery on April 4, and then received the correct surgery six days later.

Before the surgery the woman was able to speak and care for herself. Now that she received the wrong surgery she needs constant care for her basic needs and suffers from anxiety, depression, and distress. The patient decided to have the surgery due to recent strokes. The purpose of the left-side craniotomy bypass was to prevent future strokes from occurring.

Before the surgery her speaking ability became affected, but her family was able to understand her. Now, they cannot. Unfortunately, medical mistakes happen. According to the Journal of Neurosurgery, there have been 35 identified and documented cases of wrong-side craniotomies from 1996 to 2009 in the United States. This number does not include the cases that were settled and never brought to light.

Seeking Justice for Medical Malpractice

All around the nation, medical malpractice lawsuits are being filed against doctors and medical centers who have failed to take the proper precautions. The alleged mistake described above could have been easily prevented had the doctors and staff had taken the correct safety measures. However, now the patient must pay the price for their mistake. Certain surgeries are extremely delicate and a simple mistake can lead to a life of disability and co-dependence. Even just prescribing the wrong medication dosages can have a debilitating effect on a patient.

Personal Injury Lawsuit

If you or loved one recently suffered due to the negligence of a doctor, dentist, or medical staff, you should speak to a personal injury attorney today regarding your situation. A personal injury attorney may be able to win you monetary compensation for your pain and suffering. Contact us today to discuss filing a medical malpractice claim as you may be entitled to a large settlement. 

Researchers Suggest Surgical Errors More Prevalent than Thought

There are a lot of Americans that are afraid of surgeries, doctors, and hospitals.  One of the reasons are these wild accidents and events that you hear about.  You know the ones: surgeon leaves a scalpel inside a patient, surgeons amputate the wrong leg, and all sorts of other horrific stories that you wouldn't want happening to you.

Well, building on that fear, researchers at John's Hopkins studied nearly 10,000 medical malpractice claims between 1990 and 2010 and determined that approximately 4,082 "never events" occur in hospitals every year.  These events, as described above, are preventable and avoidable by paying closer attention and taking better care. Researchers published these results in the Journal Surgery and estimate that the number of non-reported and non-paid malpractice claims are much much higher.

Medical Malpractice Poses a Danger to Us All

Doctors are expected to meet a specific standard of care when treating their patients.  This standard of care is breached when doctors forget surgical items inside patients, amputate the wrong limbs, and even perform unnecessary surgeries on the wrong patients.

When these kinds of "never events" occur, a patient could suffer a life altering change to their health, including death.  These life altering consequences could cause patients to suffer for the rest of their lives- all because of a preventable surgical error.

If You Have Been Injured

If you have suffered such an injury, a medical malpractice claim could feel like a nightmare to navigate.  You need a skilled medical malpractice attorney fighting on your side.  These kinds of insurance claims can be extremely difficult and insurance companies are very afraid of having to pay big money for your injuries. You need the expertise of a professional.  And according to this research, we should also take care to discuss our treatment with doctors and surgeons to help guard against these "never events."

Hospital Mixes Up Child, Potentially Exposes Child to Illness

It seems like a nightmare scenario, something straight out of a soap opera or a made for television movie- switched at birth.  Unfortunately, mistakes happen at the hospital. According to today's news, a hospital in Minneapolis mistakenly placed one mother's child in another bassinette.  Although the mixup lasted a brief amount of time before discovering the switch, another mother breast fed that baby.

The mother is understandably upset and fears for her baby's health.  According to hospital staff, her child now needs a year of HIV and hepatitis testing to determine whether any diseases have been passed to her child.  Immediate tests were negative, but that doesn't mean things couldn't go terribly wrong for the newborn in 3 months.

The Hidden Dangers

Depending upon the health of the mother, various diseases and infections can be passed to the infant.  If another mother breast feeds your child, you don't know where that mother has been.  Nor are you privy to her health history.  As a precaution, the hospital was correct to suggest immediate and continuing testing.  The chances of passing something serious to an infant in breast milk is high.  This could include the following dangers:

• HIV
• Hepatitis
• Herpes
• Chicken Pox
• Lyme Disease
• Untreated Tuberculosis

When Hospitals Screw Up

Hospitals are supposed to offer a certain standard of care to families.  Confusion over which child belongs to whom could be very serious- exposing a family to a lifetime of potential sorrow.  Not only could this child be harmed or exposed to illness, but the family could have been deprived of their natural child.  This is very serious.  If you have experienced a traumatic loss or injury to your child because of a hospital oversight or screw up, you should consult an attorney to determine what your rights are.  You may be entitled to compensation.  Call today to obtain the help you need.