A woman filed a lawsuit against a hospital for an incident that happened during her husband’s surgery. Surgical errors seem to have become more prevalent in Illinois and throughout our country. The woman claims that the hospital medical staff left a sponge inside of her husband, which led to a serious infection and ultimately his death.
The husband went through a biopsy surgery to determine what was causing plaque in his abdomen. Following the surgery, the husband began to experience an enormous amount of pain. The surgeon discovered that there was a large amount of blood in his abdomen and then placed sponges in the area. After the husband underwent another procedure, he was diagnosed as having sepsis and kidney failure. Eventually, a CT scan was performed and it was discovered that an object was accidentally left in his abdomen.
Another procedure was performed to remove the sponge. Once the procedure was done, the husband’s incisions could not be completely closed due to his infection. Tragically, the husband died as a result, and the wife is seeking an undisclosed amount in compensation.
Surgical errors can cause Illinois patients to experience a large amount of pain and suffering and could also result in the loss of life. Physicians and other medical staff have the duty to provide appropriate standards of care to patients, especially during surgery. In this medical malpractice case, the woman may be awarded the damages she’s seeking if evidence documents the surgeon and/or staff members acted in a negligent manner which caused or contributed to the husband’s death.
Source: louisianarecord.com, “Widow claims medical malpractice after sponge left in husband allegedly led to severe infection”, Kyle Barnett, Sept. 29, 2014