Even seemingly minor or routine medical procedures require a doctor to use care, precision and skill. Doctors, however, are human and, just like most Illinois residents, have an off day now and then. Unfortunately, the medical profession does not allow for bad days and patients often pay the price.
Parents who have a child with a chronic illness or serious medical condition often come to trust in and rely heavily upon doctors and nurses for information, guidance and reassurance. When a doctor errors and a medical mistake occurs, that trust is breached and legal action may follow. One woman recently filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor who was treating her child for cancer.
According to court documents, the woman’s minor-aged child was undergoing chemotherapy treatments. One of the child’s doctors removed a catheter device so the much-needed medication could be administered intravenously. Upon removing the device, however, it broke into pieces which the doctor failed to note. As a result, portions of the catheter were left inside the child’s body.
Two months later, the pieces of the retained medical device were removed after they were detected during a routine medical scan. The child’s mother recently filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor who failed to properly remove the medical device. In the lawsuit, the mother asserts that both she and her child have suffered both physical pain and mental anguish as a result of the doctor’s error.
The plaintiff is seeking to recover damages related to those injuries inflicted as well as loss of wages, loss of enjoyment of life and medical costs.
Source: The Louisiana Record, “Children’s Hospital doctor sued on medical malpractice claims,” Eliza Walker, Oct. 24, 2013
