Going to the hospital can be stressful for anyone. After all, we’ve all heard horror stories about medical treatments gone wrong. We wish that we could tell Louisianans that such gruesome tales are mere fiction, but the fact of the matter is that medical malpractice occurs more frequently than many care to think. Sure, most doctors and nurses perform their jobs competently, but it only takes one fatigued, inattentive, or reckless medical professional to leave an individual with serious injuries. In the worst cases, unsuspecting patients die due to negligence.
This type of inadequate care is at the heart of a recently filed Louisiana medical malpractice case. There, a man apparently died after complications related to a drain that was inserted at his surgical site. The victim, a husband and father, underwent a procedure known as laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, which is utilized to treat colon cancer. The drain was inserted to help drain bodily fluids and was removed the day after the man’s operation. When the man complained of pain and nausea the next day, medical professionals conducted exploratory surgery and found hemorrhaging. The man then lost consciousness and passed away due to cardiopulmonary failure.
The man’s surviving wife and son have filed the lawsuit against the doctor and the hospital that employs him, claiming they failed to take the steps necessary to save the man’s life. They also claim that the deceased man was improperly monitored. The family seeks compensation for their losses, which may include medical expenses, funeral costs, and lost wages.
Being hurt by a medical professional is always unexpected, but the lingering effects of an instance of medical malpractice can be surprising and devastating. Those who find themselves trying to cope with the losses associated with hospital negligence should consider whether they, too, should take legal action.
Source: The Louisiana Record, “Family claims the wrong actions doctor, Ochsner Clinic Foundation resulted in relative’s death,” Carrie Bradon, March 22, 2017
