Carelessness or inattention on the part of health care professionals can cause long-term consequences for patients. The term used to describe such negligence is medical malpractice. If patients in Wisconsin or elsewhere are harmed, they or their families can sue the medical institutions, doctors, surgeons and any other medical personnel that can be linked to the negligence. Such a lawsuit was recently filed in another state after a surgeon was accused of making a surgical error.
According to court documents, a 63-year-old woman went for scheduled surgery to have a malignant tumor removed from her left adrenal gland, which is attached to the top of the kidney. However, it is alleged that the surgeon removed almost half of the plaintiff’s pancreas instead of the cancerous tumor. The claim also states that a second surgeon had to perform another procedure days after the initial surgery to remove pancreatic leakage that caused fluids to accumulate in her abdomen.
Furthermore, since the alleged botched surgery last November, pancreatic fluids remained a problem, leading to 27 surgical procedures to drain her pancreas. The plaintiff claims that she feels sick every day, and the uncertainty of her neuroendocrine carcinoma remains ever-present. The surgeon and his employer are named as defendants in the lawsuits, which seek damages to the value of $1 million.
Medical malpractice is a complicated, challenging area of the law. Most victims of surgical negligence in Wisconsin seek the support and guidance of an experienced medical malpractice attorney. Time limits exist for bringing such a case, and it’s best to arrange a consultation at the first available opportunity after medical malpractice is discovered or suspected.
Source: star-telegram.com, “She needed a tumor removed. The surgeon took out nearly half her pancreas instead”, Ryan Osborne, Sept. 27, 2017
