When people in Texas need surgery, they trust in the recommendations made by their doctors. This not only includes trusting a surgeon to perform the operation within a set standard of care, but trusting that surgery is the best option for treatment. One out-of-state man and his family claims that both of those points of trust were broken after he sustained a puncture to his brain stem during surgery that was meant to treat hearing and balance problems. He and his family have since filed a medical malpractice suit over what they say was a devastating surgical error.
The man reports that he originally suffered from ringing in the ears, slight hearing loss and some balance issues. An ear, nose and throat doctor allegedly diagnosed a noncancerous tumor on a nerve between the man’s ear and brain as the problem. The doctor reportedly recommended surgery to correct these problems. However, in the lawsuit the man and his family have since filed, it asserts that surgery was not necessary for treatment and that the doctor made several devastating mistakes, including not involving a brain surgeon despite the surgery being a craniotomy.
The man says that he experienced paralysis after the surgery and has needed significant therapy since then. He claims that he now suffers from memory loss, cognitive defects, an inability to fully use the left side of his body, and several other problems. His wife is now his caregiver, the suit says, as the man can no longer completely take care of himself. Their lawsuit names the state of Iowa as defendant as the doctor is considered a state employee.
Patients should be able to have full confidence that they will receive proper care, but it doesn’t always happen. A careless surgical error can change a person’s life in an instant. Texas families who have needlessly suffered due to a healthcare provider’s mistake may want to pursue civil litigation as this man and his family have done. An attorney who has extensive experience in handling medical malpractice claims may be able to help a family through every step of the process.