Minneapolis Personal Injury Lawyer - Medical Malpractice

Doctors Remove Wrong Kidney in Minneapolis Hospital

Staff Writer — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:52:06 GMT

Surgeons at a hospital in Minneapolis accidentally removed a healthy kidney from a patient undergoing surgery for kidney cancer. The hospital made full disclosure of the glaring medical error afterwards in what has become an all-too-common occurrence at hospitals in the United States nowadays: wrong-site surgery.

The chief medical officer for Park Nicollet Health Services made the error known to the public because he felt an ethical obligation to report it. The hospital accepted full responsibility for the oversight, and assured the public that it would look into the cause of the surgical error.

According to published reports, the surgical error was discovered when a hospital pathologist examined the kidney a day after the patient's surgery, and evidently found no trace of cancer. Methodist Hospital has not released any personal details about the patient, other than that the patient is still being treated at Methodist Hospital and that doctors are trying to resolve the dilemma of what to do next.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Infant Critically Burned from Ignited 'Oxygen Hood'

Jenny Albano — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:26:36 GMT

An infant was critically burned when oxygen ignited inside the 'oxygen hood' worn by the infant. The newborn was lying in an open-topped bassinet underneath a warmer when the accident happened. The incident occurred at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids on Tuesday, January 22.

The baby was wearing an oxygen hood, a device that fits over the face to supply additional oxygen, when something caused the gas to ignite, the statement read. Nurses who were with the baby immediately put out the fire, Allina said. Authorities were investigating.

The child, who had been born three weeks early, had to be placed in the neonatal intensive care unit at Hennepin County Medical Center where he is being treated by doctors from the burn center.

Dr. Leslie Smith said the infant will probably survive. But he suffered second- and third-degree burns over nearly a fifth of his body, including his head, shoulders, part of his face and the tops of his hands, Smith said.

According to Smith, the baby. named Maverick, will be able to use his hands and fingers and should have a normal life. He was only 12 hours old when the incident occurred and he weighs 8 pounds.

The attorney for the family, who has not been named, says that right now the family is not considering legal action because they are just trying to focus on the healing of their son.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Medical Malpractice.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

$5.7 Million Awarded in Medical Malpractice Case

Shannon Weidemann — Fri, 25 May 2007 13:36:41 GMT

A patient filed a lawsuit against his dermatologist claiming he did not properly diagnose his skin cancer. The medical malpractice case was filed in San Diego. The jury awarded $5.7 Million to the man for damages, pain and suffering and lost wages.

Regis M. Reilly, 53, claimed dermatologist Dr. James C. Powers failed to biopsy a cyst that later metastasized into cancer. Reilly has a family history of skin cancer.

The patient had a series of surgeries to remove the cancer. He is now receiving round the clock care in his home. There is a cap in California for medical malpractice and the award will be reduced to $1.9 Million.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Indiana Joins Minnesota In Medical Error Reporting

Staff Writer — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 06:35:16 GMT

Indiana has become only the second state to require hospitals to report medical errors. I am proud to say that Minnesota was the first. IN passed a law that requires hospitals and surgery centers to report errors within 15 days of discovering them. The reporting began Jan 1.

The first list of errors will be available in early 2007 and will be public record.

Some startling mistakes include operating on the wrong body part or even the wrong patient, but more common errors involve wrong dosages of medications or infections from caregivers who donâ€™t wash their hands.
â€œThis is really about fostering a culture of safety in Indiana,â€ said Scott Tittle, Gov. Mitch Danielsâ€™ policy director for health issues.
Experts say tens of thousands of hospital patients are killed or injured every year in America because of preventable errors.

This is a great step in the fight to reduce instances of medical malpractice and medical errors.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer