Medical malpractice may have caused man’s severe health decline

Medical malpractice may have caused man’s severe health decline

On Behalf of | May 17, 2017 | Medical Malpractice |

Texas patients preparing for surgery may want to pay close attention to a situation that occurred in another state. A man underwent an operation. During recovery, he was not feeling well; in fact, he lost more than 40 pounds and said he felt like he was dying. What happened next came as a shock to many, and some say they expect a medical malpractice lawsuit to follow.

The man said he knew something was very wrong because of the way his health continued to decline rather than improve after surgery. He asked doctors to find out what the source of his ill health might be. They determined he had a large mass inside his abdomen.

The man later said he immediately thought he had cancer and was unlikely to survive. However, when medical staff members further investigated the situation, the learned that, not only was it not cancer inside the man’s body, but what they did find presented strong evidence of medical negligence. The large mass was actually a blue surgical towel, mistakenly left inside the man’s body after surgery.

Foreign items left inside the bodies of patients is consistently one of the top listed forms of medical negligence injuries throughout the nation. Many such errors result in serious infections and/or deaths. Thankfully, the man in this situation was proactive in seeking answers regarding his poor health condition, which may have saved his life.

When a Texas patient wants to pursue a medical malpractice claim, an experienced attorney can review a particular situation on behalf of the plaintiff. Third party testimonies can be enlisted to help substantiate a claim. Such lawsuits sometimes lead to protocol changes to prevent future injuries, which is what happened at the hospital in the case mentioned above. Of course, they sometimes lead to substantial monetary judgments as well.

Source: americanow.com, “Hospital Fined After Leaving Towel Inside Patient’s Stomach“, Brendan Kelly, Accessed on May 17, 2017