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4 Surprising Medical Malpractice Cases That Could Happen To You

3 April 2015

Alexis Garcia

When visiting a doctor or going in for surgery, you expect that you will receive expert care and that the physicians in charge of your care will do everything possible to ensure that your safety and health are never compromised. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and many patients are the victims of medical malpractice. Medical malpractice occurs when a doctor or other health care professional neglects to provide you with the industry-wide standard of care, or wantonly disregards your health and safety during a medical procedure. Here are 4 surprising medical malpractice cases that have really happened, and what to do if you or a loved one were the victim of medical malpractice.

1. Wrong Site Surgery Mistakes 

In Providence, Rhode Island, neurosurgeons at the Rhode Island Hospital operated on the wrong side of three separate patients' heads, all within the span of a single year. In one case, a third year resident neglected to mark the surgery site for a patient who needed a shunt, and in a second case, an overconfident surgeon insisted twice that he remembered which side of a patient's head needed to be operated on before operating on the wrong side. In the third case, a nurse confirmed the correct surgical site for a patient, but failed to speak up when the surgeon began operating on the incorrect side.

2. Anesthesia Awareness 

Although statistics suggest that anesthesia awareness happens in less than 1% of surgeries, the stories of patients who have been awake during their surgeries are harrowing. In 1998, Carol Weiher was having her right eye removed. She awoke in the operating room to hear her surgeons listening to disco music and saying, "Cut deeper, pull harder." Although she was paralyzed and unable to feel pain, she felt intense pressure during the surgery and remembered every excruciating second of the five-and-a-half hour surgery. 

3. Foreign Objects Left Inside Patients After Surgery 

Many people have a fear of having a foreign object left inside their bodies after having surgery, and although it is rare, this fear is not completely unfounded. In the case of an elderly man in Pennsylvania, a 10-inch surgical retractor was found in his abdomen after a CT was ordered due to the man's consistent complaints of pain. Unfortunately, the initial surgery was performed two years prior, and the man was referred to a psychiatrist and accused of lying, even though his daughter could see an object physically sticking out from underneath her father's ribs. 

4. Misdiagnosis 

Misdiagnosis happens frequently across the U.S., although many cases don't end like Kim Tutt's. After being diagnosed with cancer in her jaw, the mom underwent five surgeries to remove supposedly malignant lumps, which left her permanently disfigured. However, her doctors later informed her that her tissue was most likely cross-contaminated in the lab, and that she likely never had cancer at all. After having her lower jaw and several teeth removed, doctors reconstructed her face using bone tissue from her leg. The mother is seeking damages for the completely unnecessary and disfiguring surgeries. 

What to Do If You or a Loved One Have Been the Victim of Medical Malpractice

If you or someone you love have been the victim of medical malpractice, it's critical that you take action as quickly as possible and contact an experienced medical malpractice lawyer or a personal injury attorney who specializes in medical negligence. A seasoned lawyer can guide you through the process of seeking compensation for your suffering, as well as punitive damages against the hospital or physicians that were neglectful in your surgery or medical care. Click here for more info.

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