Patients place their lives in the hands of doctors and trust them to administer medications and perform surgeries. When a medical professional fails to exercise due care or makes doctor errors during surgical procedures, it can dramatically affect the quality of life for a patient. Multiple surgeries may be required to fix the damage inflicted, if the patient survives at all.
A man and his former wife are suing the Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The man had to undergo multiple surgeries due to an allegedly botched procedure that resulted in arterial damage and caused a hemorrhage that was not immediately noticed. The damage was allegedly caused when the surgeon cut too deeply during the patient’s back surgery.
The patient’s resulting medical needs and recovery process also took its toll on the pair’s marriage, resulting in a divorce, which is why his former wife is involved in the case. The patient also suffers from neurological damage resulting from the alleged errors, and ongoing complications are a real threat.
Patients who suffer damage and must live with pain or undergo further treatment for injuries sustained while under a doctor’s care should learn what legal recourse is available. Understanding the many laws relevant to medical malpractice and what rights the patient has, even after signing disclaimers, is an important step in seeking compensation. Medical centers may be held responsible for the cost of corrective surgeries, long-term care and even future complications if they are found to be at fault.
Source: The Santa Fe New Mexican, “Surgical patient seeks damages for alleged malpractice,” Phaedra Haywood, Sept. 4, 2012
