In the field of medical malpractice, there can be perceived a culture of secrecy. While hospitals may keep detailed information on specific incidents, most of the time these mistakes are kept hidden from the eyes of both the patient and from the public at large.
“People who are injured as a result of medical malpractice are almost never told that has happened by their doctors or by hospitals where it’s happened,” said Maxwell Mehlman, the Director of the Law-Medicine Center at Case Western Reserve University.
Mistakes such as surgical gauze having been left inside a 69-year-old patient’s stomach for three weeks after he had dental implant surgery. When it was discovered that the patient had swallowed the gauze, they didn’t inform him.
The patient, a Vietnam veteran, and his wife didn’t learn of it until he became ill and later died. When the medical records were obtained by the patient’s widow, it included a document describing the discovery of surgical gauze inside the patient’s stomach.
While the medical center offered it’s condolences, the grieving family rightfully feels that just isn’t enough.
Another patient, a young woman elected to undergo a medical procedure to remove a mole from her face. What she woke up to was first, second and third degree burns on more than half of her face after the attending physician sparked a fire during the procedure. The doctor did not offer an explanation of what happened.
The truth was not revealed to the patient or her parents until he was taken to court. Apparently the doctor performing the procedure had failed to ask the anesthesiologist to turn off the oxygen when he used an electronic tool that sparked the fire that burned the patient.
The fact is that medical professionals including doctors, hospitals and other healthcare facilities are very much trying to avoid being named in a lawsuit, even when an incident that leaves patients injured or even dead, is their fault. When a case does come up for litigation, rest assured that the legal counsel for doctors, hospitals and other medically related professionals are well represented and very well-funded.
Medical malpractice or medical negligence is one of the leading causes of personal injury or death of patients. If you suspect that you, your child, or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice, contact Bottar Law, PLLC, today. At Bottar Law, we have been fighting for the rights of patients and their loved ones for more than 30 years.
When you call, we will schedule a confidential meeting with you to inform you of your rights and of the possibility of compensation for any medical expenses, special education, medical bills, loss of income, pain and suffering or even the tragedy of wrongful death.
You may contact us by telephone at (315) 313-6809, (888) 979-1689, or by email at info@bottarlaw.com.