On July 3, a patient at Halifax Hospital had a wrong-site surgery, according to a story in today’s Orlando Sentinel. The surgeon and hospital staff realized the mistake as the procedure was happening, but did not report it to state authorities for two weeks. And, when discussing the surgical error with the patient, the surgeon has said that he told her the surgery was justified and he did not refer to it being a case of wrong-site surgery.
The female patient was supposed to have surgery on her left leg for an issue related to her condition of vascular disease. Although her left leg had been marked, and her surgeon and nurses had discussed her left-leg surgery with her prior to the procedure, partway into the operation the nurse anesthetist realized the mistake, yet the surgeon continued to operate on the right leg and then performed the procedure on the left leg as well. After the patient woke up, the surgeon told the patient she needed the right-leg surgery anyway.
Wrong-site and wrong-side surgery is medical malpractice that should never happen. It can have life-altering consequences for the patient under certain circumstances, and a variety of checks have been put in place at hospitals across the country to prevent this type of surgical error.
If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a surgical error or another medical mistake, please contact the Law Office of Michael Barszcz, M.D., J.D., for a free consultation with our experienced Orlando medical malpractice lawyer.