Relying on medical professionals to carry out the correct procedures is an action that all patients must do. Unfortunately, these professionals could make mistakes that leave patients seriously affected. Illinois residents may be interested in a situation in which surgical errors resulted in a patient unnecessarily having a kidney removed.
Reports stated that the surgery was performed after a CT scan indicated that a patient had a tumor in one kidney. The scan was reportedly made at another facility, and the patient was referred to a surgeon. However, the patient who underwent surgery was operated on mistakenly as the scan that had been examined belonged to another individual who had the same name. Additionally. identifying information was not utilized in order to ensure that the correct patient was going through the surgery.
After the kidney was removed, the surgeon sent it to another department where it was found that there was no tumor present. Information on the state of the patient after the incident was not given in the report. It was discussed that the hospital is currently under investigation and is required to change identification policies and address other issues discovered.
The removal of a kidney is a serious procedure, and when the action takes place due to surgical errors, the affected patient may face negative repercussions. Therefore, the individual in this case and Illinois residents who may have been similarly affected by such mistakes may wish to look into medical malpractice claims. Filing such claims could allow victims to seek compensation for permitted damages.
Source: The Boston Globe, “Hospital faulted for removing wrong patient’s kidney“, Liz Kowalczyk, Oct. 14, 2016