Two recent medical mistakes have resulted in medical malpractice lawsuits in Louisiana. In the first instance, a doctor allegedly left a sponge inside a patient at Tulane University Hospital and Clinics. The patient’s wife filed suit last month in Orleans Parish Civil District Court.
As reported at louisianarecord.com, the woman’s husband was undergoing surgery to remove cancer from his esophagus. During the procedure, the doctor left a sponge inside his abdomen, according to her lawsuit. The sponge was inside her husband’s abdomen for one month before doctors removed it. A Medical Review Panel Hearing is likely.
In the second lawsuit, a woman sued the Tulane Medical Center in Orleans Parish Civil District Court after doctors allegedly failed to sterilize an instrument used on her husband. The unsterilized instrument might have led to an infectious disease that contributed to her husbands’ death, according to her lawsuit. The incident happened in October 2010 when her husband entered the hospital for a possible stroke and other illnesses.
The above cases illustrate what can happen when doctors and health care workers make mistakes on the job. Incidents of medical malpractice can result in death, unfortunately. Patients and their families have rights when mistakes like this happen.
Harrell & Nowak, L.L.C. – New Orleans medical malpractice attorneys