Illinois Medical Malpractice Lawyers Blog

In light of a recent jury verdict, Illinois medical malpractice attorneys at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm are warning of the risks of seemingly routine medical procedures. Last week Amy Garcia, a resident of Southfield, Michigan, was awarded $2.5 million dollars against St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, after she endured a severe injury stemming from a routine surgery.

As reported in the Ann Arbor Journal, Ms. Garcia suffered a miscarriage in 2007, which resulted in the loss of her 14-week old fetus. After the miscarriage, Dr. Norman Gove, an obstetrician and gynecologist, explained to Ms. Garcia that she needed to undergo a dilation and curettage procedure. This procedure is commonly required after a woman miscarries a child. Dr. Gove, told her that this was a standard surgery and that "the procedure would be quick," and that Ms. Garcia would "be home by lunch."

Without Ms. Garcia's knowledge or consent, an unsupervised resident physician of the hospital performed the procedure which resulted in permanent bodily damage. The resident began by dilating the cervix and then perforated the uterus. The resident accidently inserted ring forceps through the perforated uterus in an effort to remove the fetal remains. Instead of removing the necessary tissue, the resident grabbed a piece of bowel which snapped back, causing a tear to the bowel and rectum.

As a result of the mistake, Ms. Garcia required an ileostomy to create an opening to pass intestinal waste to a bag worn outside the body. In addition to wearing the bag for three months, Ms. Garcia lost part of her bowel and rectum, which has resulted in severe pain, altered bowel patterns and scarring. While no amount of money can ever compensate the pain and disruption of daily life Ms. Garcia has endured, the verdict helps to raise awareness of the dangers of all procedures.

All patients are entitled to a good standard of practice and care from their doctors. Moreover, it is the duty of all physicians to provide competent and professional medical care to their patients. While most of the time physicians and their medical teams perform their job properly and without incident, there are the unfortunate instances when a doctor or team member fails and a complication arises. A surgical error typically results in a preventable injury, whether it be minor or severe.

Cases such as Ms. Garcia's demonstrate the devastation of an avoidable injury. Shockingly, in recent years, these types of cases are becoming commonplace in the medical malpractice field. Since patients are less concerned when they believe an operation is routine, they are less likely to pose serious questions to their physician. Chicago malpractice attorneys at Pintas and Mullins Law Firm recommend that people be diligent when it comes to both serious and common surgeries so that they are aware of the possible complications and side effects. Even minor procedures may carry serious complications. If an injury is the result of an error during surgery, there are legal remedies available to help not only the injured person, but also the family members of the victim.

Continue reading "$2.5 Million Medical Malpractice Verdict Brings to Light Risks of Routine Procedures" »

Although preventable medical mistakes frequently occur throughout the year, new research suggests that July may be the most dangerous month for hospital patients seeking care. It's a troubling phenomenon known as the "July Effect," when new medical residents begin arriving at teaching hospitals nationwide and patient death rates consequently spike. Nearly 100,000 people die every year from preventable medical errors, and many of these victims have sought legal help from our medical malpractice attorneys. The latest study confirms that quality healthcare continues to be a serious concern, particularly during the summer months.

According to Time magazine, researchers recently concluded that the "July Effect" is more than just an urban myth. A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine shows that death rates at teaching hospitals increase by at least 8 percent in July, when experienced medical residents graduate and new medical trainees arrive. These new doctors are caring for vulnerable patients for the first time, resulting in increased surgical complications and boosting the number of serious or even fatal medical mistakes.

One possible explanation for the decreased quality of care is that inexperienced doctors may be unfamiliar with the hospital pharmacy system, making them more likely to prescribe wrong medications or wrong doses of medications. The study also found that longer hospital stays, higher medical bills, and unnecessary tests occur more during July.

The so-called "July Effect" is a serious problem affecting about 100,000 staff members in teaching hospitals throughout the country. Some hospitals are taking notice, conducting detailed orientation sessions to ensure that doctors are properly trained and placing more experienced doctors on-call for emergencies during the summer months. But we believe more needs to be done in order to avoid preventable complications. All hospitals should have programs in place to make sure that patients receive consistent quality care, regardless of whether they get sick in July or any other month of the year. Hospitals, doctors, and nurses owe patients a legal duty of care, and this duty is obviously being violated far too often.

Continue reading "New Study Reveals Most Potentially Deadly Medical Mistakes Happen in July " »

When medical mistakes are made during surgery, innocent patients suffer devastating consequences and are often forced to undergo additional, painful procedures to correct the errors. Our Illinois medical malpractice lawyers recently learned of a new study confirming that too much noise in the operating room contributes to an increased number of preventable medical mistakes. This study, performed by Healthday, shows that noisy operation rooms pose a significant threat to patient safety and negatively impact surgical outcomes.

In the Healthday study, researchers revealed that patients exposed to an increased noise levels during surgery are at greater risk for surgical site infections. Surgical site infections occur after the surgery is performed and often require additional surgeries to treat. Signs of a surgical site infection include redness and pain around the surgery area, surgical wound drainage, and fever. These infections lead to longer and more expensive hospital stays. As one doctor explained, patients suffering from a surgical site infection spend up to 13 days longer in the hospital, tripling the cost of surgery. The results of this groundbreaking study will be published in the July issue of the British Journal of Surgery.

In the healthcare setting, telephones, cell phones, conversations between surgical staff, equipment, and music played to relax surgeons and their staff all contribute to the noise level. In large Illinois hospitals, the risk for noise is even greater because more staff and equipment are present. Noise is linked to an increased number of surgical site infections because it drowns out patient monitor alarms and creates dangerous communication barriers. In a loud operating room, medical professionals are likely to mistake similar-sounding medication names or hear incorrect medication doses. Unnecessary noise is extremely distracting and stressful when surgeons are performing a complicated medical procedure.

In addition to creating communication barriers that negatively impact patient health, noise can directly harm patients, causing elevated blood pressure and increased heart rates. Post surgery, patients exposed to extreme noise levels often require more medications and continue to show signs of distress, recalling staff conversations and other noises during recovery.

Continue reading "Loud Operating Rooms Put Patients at Greater Risk for Surgical Site Infections" »

Wrong-site surgery is a horrific type of medical negligence in which surgery is performed on the wrong patient, the wrong side of the patient's body, or where the wrong surgical equipment is used. These surgical errors are devastating for the patient and the entire surgical team. The sad part is that these serious medical mistakes are completely preventable. Following simple safety procedures make the difference between the life and death of a patient. Unfortunately, negligent medical professionals are overlooking the smallest steps resulting in serious harm. According to new data by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals, wrong-site surgeries are the second most frequently reported adverse event. The scope of these problems are even larger than Illinois medical malpractice lawyers at Pintas & Mullins are aware of since many doctors fail to voluntary report these acts of medical negligence.

The Oregonian recently reported the tragic case of 4-year-old Jesse Matlock, who underwent surgery to correct his wandering right eye. Unfortunately, his doctors mistakenly operated on his healthy left eye. Like other wrong-site patients, Jesse will have to undergo several more difficult and expensive surgical procedures to correct this serious medical mistake. Because of the severe trauma that wrong-site patients often experience, these medical errors are considered a "never event" and are never supposed to happen in any hospital. Yet wrong-part, wrong-patient, and wrong-procedures continue to happen around the nation. A national study estimates that these preventable mistakes harm as many as 2,700 people a year.

Under the Adverse Healthcare Events Reporting Law in Illinois, hospitals are required to report wrong site surgeries, however this law has yet to be fully implemented. This law requires anywhere from $500,000 to $600,000 to enforce, which is unlikely to happen. National efforts by the Joint Commission have also failed to significantly reduce the frequency of wrong-site medical errors.

Continue reading "Preventable Wrong-Site Surgeries Continue to be a Serious Medical Malpractice Problem" »