Articles Posted in Medical Malpractice

A medical malpractice trial involving the family of a woman who died shortly after childbirth came to an end last week. The judge in the trial declared that it would stop after an attorney made a statement suggesting that the doctor involved in the case had played “Russian roulette” with the young mother’s life. The doctor was on the witness stand at the time of the statement and broke down as a result.

Dr. Lucinda S. Antosh was one of the doctors who treated Candice L. Perrillo, 25, in the days after she gave birth. The doctor testified that she had acted appropriately, but she also admitted to not ordering necessary tests or reviewing the patient’s full medical history.

The judge emptied the courtroom and admonished the attorney for the statement. The judge then ordered a mistrial, forcing both sides to come together for a new trial at a later date with new jurors. The judge stated that there was no purposeful decision made to inflict harm upon the patient on the part of the doctor.

Imagine living with pain. Many of us can’t imagine it. Others of us struggle with it every day of our lives. Now imagine visiting a doctor to seek relief from that pain, only to leave the office worse than when you walked in.

That is exactly what happened to a Missouri woman who sought treatment for back issues. According to court documents, the woman, Claudia Ball, was suffering with degenerative and bulging discs. She underwent injections to her spinal column as a way to relieve the pain she felt. It’s a common treatment that many patients choose.

Unfortunately for Ball, an inch-and-a-half needle broke off in her back during an injection. The incident occurred in 2009, and Ball has been living with the needle in her back ever since. A four-day trial against Dr. Catherine Doty and the Allied Physician Group resulted in a $507,000 verdict for Ball. Breakthrough Pain Relief Clinic in Chesterfield where Ball received treatment closed some time ago.

A lawsuit has been filed in Florida claiming a woman was subjected to maggots as she lie in an intensive care unit. According to the family, there are medical records that prove the woman, Dorothy Mooneyham, 75, had maggots in her mouth, nasal airway and high on at least three occasions.

According to the family’s attorney, hospital staff noted maggots emerging from the Mooneyham’s mouth during an assessment. The maggots were removed, but the insects reappeared the next day.

Mooneyham was admitted to the ICU after suffering a heart attack following a surgery. It was only weeks later that she passed away in a hospice facility.

In 2009, a mother lost her twins. Jo Ann Page of Archbald, Pennsylvania ultimately filed suit against Physicians Health Alliance of Carbondale, Francis Hamm, M.D., Michael J. Kush, M.D., and Moses Taylor Hospital. In what ordinarily would have been kept in the closet, a judge disclosed the amount of the recent settlement.

Defense attorneys argued that telling the public how much Page would be given would discourage medical professionals and hospitals from settling in the future. The judge did not agree. Lackawanna County Judge Terrence Nealon let the public in on the settlement amount: $4.25 million.

Page’s attorneys argued that doctors failed to monitor her preeclampsia. Page suffered a seizure and the placenta carrying the twins detached from her womb. As a result, twins Kylee and Chloe, were delivered stillborn at 33.4 weeks’ gestation.

Many of us take for granted that when we walk into a hospital, doctor’s office or pharmacy that we are going to be able to clearly communicate with a medical professional. But what would happen if our native language was something other than English? For example:

In December 2012, a man entered the emergency room at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland. He was suffering from shortness of breath, vomiting and abdominal pain. He spent two days in the hospital before he passed away. According to a hospital inspection report, the man spoke only Spanish and no one discussed his condition or care plan to him in his native language until just over an hour before he died.

The United States is becoming more culturally diverse everyday. Safety experts are concerned that those who provide medical care are not making interpreters available to patients as often as they should be. Instead, many medical professionals rely on patient’s friends or family members who do not understand medical terminology. This lack of availability of professional medical interpreters is thought to be putting about 9% of the population at risk for an adverse medical event.

The elderly in our country are the biggest consumers of medical care. As we age, we need medical professionals more and more. Because senior citizens are more likely to visit a doctor than other people, they are also more likely to become the victims of medical malpractice. Fortunately, there are ways that you can help protect your aging parents from medical negligence and error.

1. Medication

Make sure that every medical provider your parent comes into contact with knows every medication that is being taken. This includes vitamins and supplements. This will help to prevent medication error.

Diagnosing diabetes is not difficult for most doctors. Getting the right diagnosis, however, can be. How is that so?

With the number of people newly diagnosed with diabetes on the rise, reports have surfaced that some people are being misdiagnosed with Type 2 diabetes when they actually have Type 1. It may seem that being diagnosed with one type or the other is not that significant but, in reality, treating Type 2 when you have Type 1 can be dangerous.

The Differences

Medical error and negligence does not only occur among the average citizen. The famous are not immune to the risks of improper medical care. When it comes to celebrities and medical malpractice, there may be some that immediately pop into your mind…Michael Jackson, for instance…and some that you haven’t heard of. Here are some of the highest reported instances of famous people and medical negligence.

1. Julie Andrews

The actress, perhaps most famous for her role in ‘Mary Poppins,’ underwent surgery to remove cancerous nodules from her throat. She claimed that her vocal chords were damaged during the surgery and ended up settling with her doctor for an undisclosed amount.

Gastric bypass procedures are done on a daily basis around the country. For many people, the surgery is a last effort in the long battle to lose weight. Medical mistakes can occur during any surgery, but the risk of mistake rises with the level of complication surrounding the procedure. Because gastric bypass surgery can be incredibly risky, it is important to understand potential complications before you make the decision to go under the knife.

The Risks

The risks of gastric bypass surgery often depend on the type of surgery you elect to have. For generality’s sake, we will provide you with a list of potential complications with the typical gastric bypass surgery. Your doctor can provide you with more specifics with your unique situation in mind.

Medical mistakes happen on a daily basis. Mistakes are often simple in nature and take very little to make right. Unfortunately in some cases, the error or negligence causes permanent injury and, worse, death. Here are some of the worst cases of medical malpractice in recent years.

1. Double Amputee

A New York woman, Stacey Galette, underwent a laproscopic procedure in 2009. Doctors accidentally punctured her intestine, she got an infection, the infection led to blood poisoning and, eventually, gangrene. Galette ended up losing both of her legs to amputation. She eventually won a $62 million verdict by jury.