Blog: Medical Malpractice

Sleep deprived doctors make more mistakes

Nov 6, 2012

When a medical emergency presents, a doctor must quickly take action. What happens, however, if that doctor has been awake for more than 20 hours? Not surprisingly it turns out that the likelihood that a medical mistake will result increases significantly. Contrary to a belief held by many within the medical profession and society as a whole, doctors are mere human beings and, as such, require adequate amounts of sleep. In fact according to one...

Million dollar medical malpractice lawsuit continued to next year

Nov 2, 2012

A medical malpractice suit for one million dollars against an orthopedist in another state for surgical errors was continued to September 2013 by a county circuit court in October 2012. The plaintiff, a 68-year old woman, filed a civil complaint because of the October 2011 surgery that left her "suffering with severe and permanent injury to her left collarbone. This case could be important to Pennsylvania residents who believe similar surgery may have generated related...

Ohio hospital adopts new procedures after botched surgery

Oct 31, 2012

This past September we wrote about a hospital in Ohio that during a surgery to harvest the kidney of a donor, somehow managed to throw the kidney away, making the transplant impossible. The kidney, which had been placed in a basin that was then stored in a slush machine, was discarded by a nurse who did not realize it was there. The surgical error resulted in several suspensions, two of which led to nurses leaving...

Horrific birth injury leads to medical malpractice lawsuit

Oct 24, 2012

Few things in life are as amazing or joy inducing as the birth of a new baby. Couples who anxiously wait months, if not years, to bring a tiny new life into the world are often overcome with happiness upon their baby's arrival. When a birth injury or act of medical malpractice occurs, however, a very different scenario can play out. A horrific instance of medical malpractice occurred during Feb. 2011 when an infant was...

Update: Negligent nurse unaware she threw away Ohio man’s kidney

Oct 6, 2012

When a person is in need of a life-saving organ transplant, they sometimes wait years for a donor match. If a patient's doctor manages to line up a viable organ, then that news is undoubtedly met with jubilation. As we reported just over a month ago, one Ohio man's joy was cut short when a nurse threw away a kidney intended for transplant. Initial media reports indicated that human error led to the man's kidney...

Medication errors and nursing negligence

Oct 2, 2012

Each year, an estimated 7,000 Americans die as a result of medication errors. While most hospitals currently have several methods to safeguard against the wrong or incorrect dosage of medication being administered, errors still occur with far too much frequency. These errors can be largely attributed to nurses who are typically entrusted with administering patients' medications. Hospitals and medical centers are busy places with many distractions. A nurse's primary focus is to attend to their...

Hospital reports drug-resistant bacteria kills seven

Sep 24, 2012

We've likely all seen a movie or read a book in which the outbreak of some deadly disease ends up wiping out the population of a whole city. In reality, when an outbreak of some form of deadly disease or bacteria is detected, it becomes the responsibility of the hospital at which the outbreak occurred to both contain the outbreak and notify the public. Failure to do so can result in unnecessary deaths due to...

Patients Who Tested Negative for Hepatitis C Added to Class Action Lawsuit

Sep 24, 2012

An attorney representing 169 people, including 11 former Exeter patients who have tested positive for the Hepatitis C virus, said “although most of his clients tested negative for hepatitis C, they still had to endure a gut-wrenching period of time fearing they were exposed to the illness but having no idea whether they had contracted it.” As we reported in earlier blogs, medical technician David Kwiatkowski was arrested in connection with the illegal use of...

Medical errors affect children who are patients too

Sep 21, 2012

While few are interested in spending a prolonged time in a hospital, most would agree that it is particularly difficult to see children with chronic conditions as patients. In addition to having to deal with an illness, the kids are also missing the little things that occur each day that make being a kid fun. Now there is yet another negative thing for parents of children who must spend time in the hospital to be...

Family claims hospital negligent in death of 25-year-old

Sep 14, 2012

Medical complications that arise from surgical procedures are fairly common. Hospital staff members, including doctors and nurses, are typically able to diagnose and deal with common complications and ensure patients are comfortable. Unfortunately in some instances, doctors and nurses make medical mistakes and fail to recognize and attend to symptoms that can result in the serious injury or death to patients. The family of a 25-year-old woman recently filed a lawsuit against a hospital claiming...