Chicago doctors, surgeons and all other types of health care professionals communicate via medical records and charts. This is important to ensure that all have up-to-date information about new developments in patients’ health conditions as well as any medications they may be taking. A recent case of alleged surgical negligence in a neighboring state serves to illustrate just how crucial this can be, as failing to do so reportedly resulted in a patient’s death.
A woman has filed a complaint alleging that her mother’s surgical injuries and eventual resultant death were caused by a negligent surgeon’s failure to review her medical chart. The deceased was taking a blood thinner medication when she went in for surgery in mid-February 2016. The surgeon, apparently failing to review her medical charts, did not take any steps to address the blood thinning issue, and the woman’s punch biopsy of a breast mass took place as planned.
The day following the medical procedure, the patient was discovered unresponsive. She had no blood pressure. According to the suit, the woman was admitted to the hospital with a large hematoma in her left breast as well as acute blood loss and shock.
Per the plaintiff, her now deceased mother remained in the hospital until she died in September of that same year. Because of the allegedly negligent surgeon’s failure to check the patient’s medical charts and note that she was on blood thinning medications, the lawsuit holds the defendant responsible and requests trial by jury. Anyone in Chicago or the surrounding area who has similarly lost a family member due to surgical negligence has the same legal right to consult a medical malpractice attorney, as an experienced lawyer can offer guidance on options to fight for justice and compensation.
Source: wvrecord.com, “Kanawha County physician alleged to have caused injuries by failure to review chart“, Louie Torres, Aug. 16, 2017