Medical Malpractice

[Pea-n-Me]

Interesting. When I had my laparoscopic hysterectomy (via the lower abdomen), my GYN did a cystoscopy afterward to check for bleeding in my bladder - I guess it’s very common to be cut inadvertently. My guess is that with this person, either the cut significantly negatively affected the bladder, OR, perhaps they didn’t do the cystoscopy, but should have, and bleeding was undetected. Who knows. I’ve seen and heard of many, many “things gone wrong” over the years.

To answer the question. It would depend on a lot of factors, including what happened; my own personal relationship with the doctor, and how they’ve been with me and my family up to this point. I doubt the lawsuit alone would make me change doctors as long as I’ve felt we’d had good care. Lawsuits are not uncommon.

 

[happily single]

Mistakes happen. Curious what happened after the mistake. Was it covered up?

No cover up

 

[GAN]

If you found out that your doctor had been sued for medical malpratice and lost the case, would you continue to see them?

I recently found out that my much beloved gyn was sued and lost a medical malpractice case. I only know the details provided in the local news, but the women lived, she just suffered some complications from surgery. I will continue to see him without any issue.

Malpractice, being a negligent act or omission leading to personal injury would seem like a fairly rigid standard to prove but I feel courts tend to lean on the side of the patient(possibly rightfully so) -so I’m not surprised, without knowing anything about the case. Doctors aren’t magicians. Think about the human body and the millions of possibilities for things to go wrong in any surgery or procedure …doctors work with the tightest minimum degree for error. Things can go wrong. For me, I think the most important thing is to have a doctor who you trust and that you believe has your absolute best interest in mind. I don’t know that my doctor is the “best” doctor in all regards -but I am sure she has my best interest in mind, and I would go forward with her irregardless of any court decision.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I would go forward with her irregardless of any court decision

Even if the settlement was very large, the patient died and eventually several years later their license was revoked? That's what happened to a friend who lost their parent due to a routine dental surgery. I think it's crazy to say irregardless of a court decision, that's potentially putting your life at risk trust or no trust. At least there are posters saying they would investigate before making a decision. Most of us trust our medical professionals until something happens.

 

[GAN]

Even if the settlement was very large, the patient died and eventually several years later their license was revoked? That's what happened to a friend who lost their parent due to a routine dental surgery. I think it's crazy to say irregardless of a court decision, that's potentially putting your life at risk trust or no trust. At least there are posters saying they would investigate before making a decision. Most of us trust our medical professionals until something happens.

How well do you know your doctor? The OP is talking about her regular OB-GYN, you're talking about a routine dental surgery ...was that with their regular dentist or a referral? It matters. I trust my dentist unequivocally ...a dental surgeon I'm referred to -probably not so much.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

How well do you know your doctor? The OP is talking about her regular OB-GYN, you're talking about a routine dental surgery ...was that with their regular dentist or a referral? It matters. I trust my dentist unequivocally ...a dental surgeon I'm referred to -probably not so much.

I assumed you were speaking in general with how you would approach the topic of knowing a medical professional you go to and trust who you learned had a malpractice suit against them with a settlement involved. I assumed that because as far as I know you don't go to an ob-gyn (unless I'm incorrect in your gender identification). To blanket say regardless of a court decision seems very crazy talk to me because that court decision could mean the medical professional did something extremely negligent. Perhaps if you found yourself truly in that position you might think twice about that. You say you would trust your dentist except your dentist provides routine care. There's also dental surgeons and oral surgeons. I went to an oral surgeon to get my wisdom teeth out, I went to my normal dentist for sealants. A root canal (which I haven't had) can be done by your dentist although not as common to be done by them. You can be sedated at your normal dentist. And so on and so on.

My step-father-in-law went to his normal doctor they trusted for years until he failed to do proper care regarding prostate cancer causing issues several years later with care.

It's one thing to make an informed decision, it's another for what you said where it didn't matter you'd just view it as nonchalent. But at the end of the day it's your call, your health or potentially the health of a loved one so I've truly got not skin in your personal game.

 

[fla4fun]

I would have to research the case before making a decision. I would want to know all the facts, and whether there was a pattern of issues with that particular physician. If I found a pattern of similar issues indicating neglect or incompetence, then I would seek a new doctor. If it was one case, especially if my physician was named simply for referring a patient, then I would be more likely to stick with them, particularly if we had a long history together. Each situation is going to be different.

 

[happily single]

Even if the settlement was very large, the patient died and eventually several years later their license was revoked? That's what happened to a friend who lost their parent due to a routine dental surgery. I think it's crazy to say irregardless of a court decision, that's potentially putting your life at risk trust or no trust. At least there are posters saying they would investigate before making a decision. Most of us trust our medical professionals until something happens.

He still practices. In fact I'm seeing him today. He has no displicanary actions either. I see it as solely a mistake. I couldn't imagine performing surgery laproscopically (or any other way).

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

He still practices. In fact I'm seeing him today. He has no displicanary actions either. I see it as solely a mistake. I couldn't imagine performing surgery laproscopically (or any other way).

Oh I was speaking about general approach as the PP seemingly spoke about generalities without having further information into the situation.

 

[tvguy]

. Who knows. I’ve seen and heard of many, many “things gone wrong” over the years.

My mom was a Surgical Nurse for over 40 years and she said one of the things she hated about the job was a "textbook procedure, but the patient died" from issues that had nothing to do with the surgery.

 

[GAN]

Oh I was speaking about general approach as the PP seemingly spoke about generalities without having further information into the situation.

Pretty sure we're all speaking in generalities -I doubt you have anymore insight into the situation than I do. If you don't trust your doctor totally, with your life -find another one. Or go on without and roll the dice on your own...

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Pretty sure we're all speaking in generalities -I doubt you have anymore insight into the situation than I do. If you don't trust your doctor totally, with your life -find another one. Or go on without and roll the dice on your own...

Which is why I said it was crazy to continue to go regardless without knowing any other information. But FWIW It didn't seem like you were talking in generalities when you were discussing dentist over dental surgeon, you were getting into specifics over whom you would trust more whereas I was trying to include stories from various medical professionals.

I think you think I'm trying to speak badly about someone when what I'm saying is you need to advocate for yourself and your loved ones and in this case that means at the very least finding out if legally possible what happened to the best that is public knowledge before saying "I would go forward with her irregardless of any court decision" That court decision could have been about a death of a patient, or a serious negligence, or even a minor one but with lifelong complications (and in this case something to do with someone's bladder), the settlement amount could have been limited due to the law of a given area and it may have been but one case (or further research indicates more even if it's just conduct issues rather than malpractice), others may come forward later on and any number of things. But at least you'd be finding out more information other than the doctor lost a malpractice case.

That's why I asked even if it was the death of a patient or about losing a license (which isn't usually determined immediately).

The OP clarified yesterday the jury sided with the patient in the last month due to a "laparoscopic abdominal surgery and cut her bladder by mistake"

 

[Dznypal]

About 5 years ago I had a colonoscopy apparently I was fidgety so they gave me fentanyl not sure who actually gave it to me either dr or RN. The RN was the one who gave me the first dose to put me under.
Anyways that dose didn’t work nor the dose after that finally when it did work all the fentanyl hit my system at once causing me to stop breathing not once but twice.
Dr said it was only for a couple seconds each time which didn’t make me feel any better.
Unfortunately the notes only said the STATS dropped nothing that I stopped breathing the STATS didn’t drop they crashed.
Because of this that was my last one
I would have liked to have taken it farther but not sure how far I would have gotten because of how the notes were written

 

[kymom99]

About 5 years ago I had a colonoscopy apparently I was fidgety so they gave me fentanyl not sure who actually gave it to me either dr or RN. The RN was the one who gave me the first dose to put me under.
Anyways that dose didn’t work nor the dose after that finally when it did work all the fentanyl hit my system at once causing me to stop breathing not once but twice.
Dr said it was only for a couple seconds each time which didn’t make me feel any better.
Unfortunately the notes only said the STATS dropped nothing that I stopped breathing the STATS didn’t drop they crashed.
Because of this that was my last one
I would have liked to have taken it farther but not sure how far I would have gotten because of how the notes were written

When I have a colonoscopy, I have an anesthesiologist there during the procedure.

 

[leebee]

DH had "routine" knee surgery- a high tibial osteotomy. He unexpectedly stayed in the hospital overnight where the nursing staff completely changed his bandage/dressing, even though we'd been told not to do so for three days. Healing went well for three weeks, and then the infection set in. The doc as walk-in-care wanted to admit him for IV antibiotics (scar was splitting open, plasma and whatever running down his leg) but over the phone the surgeon said no, sometimes they just see what is an infected stitch, and put him on oral amoxicillin for 10 days. Well... it was a full-blown infection, and DH ended up in the hospital for 7 days for reconstructive surgery (they scooped out all the rotted flesh and muscle, then pulled part of his calf muscle around to the front of his leg to fill the hole, then skin-grafted it all) and then was in a nursing home for 6 weeks of round-the-clock IV antibiotics. If the skin graft hadn't held/healed, they would have had to amputate his leg. Once DH was back on his feet (literally and figuratively), we rounded up the hospital records and talked to a lawyer. Our lawyer said that basically, the bacteria causing the infection was a routine respiratory bug, probably transferred during surgery, and it wasn't really anyone's fault, and that there was no lawsuit here. I was curious, as the nursing staff on that first night changed the dressing even though DH's discharge instructions said not to, and also that the surgeon sent him home for 10 days of oral antibiotics, without seeing the extent of the infection and against the WIC doc's recommendation, but we were told by 2 different lawyers that it wouldn't hold up in court. Of course, DH's life has changed, his gait is different, he can't kneel so his activity level is different, he can't feel the back of his leg or part of his foot so the things he can do are limited, but, apparently, nobody here is at fault.

 

[C&Jx2]

DH had "routine" knee surgery- a high tibial osteotomy. He unexpectedly stayed in the hospital overnight where the nursing staff completely changed his bandage/dressing, even though we'd been told not to do so for three days. Healing went well for three weeks, and then the infection set in. The doc as walk-in-care wanted to admit him for IV antibiotics (scar was splitting open, plasma and whatever running down his leg) but over the phone the surgeon said no, sometimes they just see what is an infected stitch, and put him on oral amoxicillin for 10 days. Well... it was a full-blown infection, and DH ended up in the hospital for 7 days for reconstructive surgery (they scooped out all the rotted flesh and muscle, then pulled part of his calf muscle around to the front of his leg to fill the hole, then skin-grafted it all) and then was in a nursing home for 6 weeks of round-the-clock IV antibiotics. If the skin graft hadn't held/healed, they would have had to amputate his leg. Once DH was back on his feet (literally and figuratively), we rounded up the hospital records and talked to a lawyer. Our lawyer said that basically, the bacteria causing the infection was a routine respiratory bug, probably transferred during surgery, and it wasn't really anyone's fault, and that there was no lawsuit here. I was curious, as the nursing staff on that first night changed the dressing even though DH's discharge instructions said not to, and also that the surgeon sent him home for 10 days of oral antibiotics, without seeing the extent of the infection and against the WIC doc's recommendation, but we were told by 2 different lawyers that it wouldn't hold up in court. Of course, DH's life has changed, his gait is different, he can't kneel so his activity level is different, he can't feel the back of his leg or part of his foot so the things he can do are limited, but, apparently, nobody here is at fault.

Yeah as a former rehab nurse who worked with a lot of Ortho patients you aren't really supposed to change certain dressings until a certain point in time UNLESS they're lifting. I wonder if that is why the nurse changed it,

I'm sorry your husband experienced that and continues to have residual issues

 

[Turn the Page]

One of my good friends and I saw the same OB/GYN. We both LOVED this doctor. He delivered my son 6 1/2 years ago and I was super happy with my care. I didn't see this doctor anymore because he was in the next town over and I had originally started seeing him because he was affiliated with a different hospital that I wanted to deliver in. But I digress. My friend still saw him and this summer he botched her surgery. Removed the wrong ovary. So, even if I did still see him, I would be seeking a different provider at this point.