Santa Fe residents trust their health and their lives to area medical professionals every day. In most instances, that trust is warranted and respected and proper care is provided. Unfortunately, there are some times when patients do not receive the best care or are the victims of outright mistakes. Whether due to hospital negligence, misdiagnosis, an emergency room error or something else, a patient injury can result all too easily.
A recent news article reported on a lawsuit that has been filed in the case of an elderly patient who developed extreme bedsores during a stay at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center last year. The woman was admitted to the hospital originally for a hip replacement surgery. During her recovery time after surgery, hospital staff allegedly neglected to provide care for her skin and allowed the bedsores to take hold. The woman died less than a week later.
Her two adult children have filed the suit claiming that their mother’s life was unnecessarily shortened due to the hospital neglect. They state that the bedsores caused her to incur a permanent disability that was extremely painful both physically and emotionally. There was no comment provided in the article by any hospital spokesperson.
Medical errors can happen for many reasons and are not likely to go away. Doctors, nurses and other practitioners are human and therefore the chance of a mistake will always linger. If you believe you have been the victim of a medical error, you may wish to speak to an experienced attorney to learn your rights.
Source: Santa Fe New Mexican, “Lawsuit: Bedsores hastened mother’s death,” August 23, 2013
