A surgery patient in Germany has filed suit against the doctor and hospital responsible for a horribly botched surgery that left the man with 16 objects in his body. The man was in the hospital to have surgery for prostate cancer when everything went wrong.
The man’s attorney, Annette Corinth, says that doctor had to go in later to remove a needle, compresses and surgical strips from her patient after his wounds had failed to properly heal from a surgery that took place in 2009.
The innocent patient was a 77-year-old who died last year. The man’s family is now suing the doctor and hospital for $106,000 for damages related to his pain and suffering as well as medical expenses. So far the organization that runs the hospital has said they reject the claim and have admitted to no wrongdoing. The hospital has also said that the lawsuit asks for an unusually large amount of money, a statement that might shock many people who hear about the medical malpractice suit.
Though the German incident is especially horrifying, it’s far from an isolated incident. A study that was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine said that there were nearly 1,500 patients in American hospitals that have pieces of equipment left inside of them following surgical procedures every year.
Other data provided by Medical News Today suggests that medical mistakes, including leaving surgical instruments behind, are one of the most commonly cited reasons for accidental deaths in the U.S. A study found that medical errors are actually the fifth-leading cause of death in the U.S. with more than 100,000 fatalities per year.
What’s especially tragic is that these deaths are all easily prevented. Surgical tools left in unsuspecting patients are examples of pure human error. Such mistakes typically result from doctors who are rushed or distracted or because hospitals have failed to institute proper procedures to account for medical equipment used during surgeries.
Sadly, the prevalence of such mistakes means that the chances of a medical error taking place are very high. Those who have suffered injuries at the hand of their doctor should be aware that legal remedies might be available to them. If you would like to speak with a Mississippi medical malpractice attorney about a potential medical malpractice claim, call Mississippi medical malpractice lawyers atKilpatrick & Philley, PLLC today at 601-707-4669.
Source: “LAWYER: SURGEONS LEFT 16 ITEMS IN GERMAN AFTER OP,” by The Associated Press, published at AP.org.
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