Medical errors have the potential to cause permanent injuries, especially when a medical error causes a brain injury or brain damage. In one Illinois patient’s case, brain damage resulting from medical malpractice has caused him to go blind and suffer motor deficits. The man filed a lawsuit against several medical professionals last month for causing his permanent and disabling injuries.
The man claims that medical malpractice contributed to his injuries and caused him to go blind. The patient’s lawsuit states that doctors made several errors before and after performing a tracheotomy. These errors caused the patient to suffer brain damage. And as a result of the damage that was done to the patient’s brain, the patient was left with permanent injuries.
The patient’s tracheotomy was performed in May 2011. The man’s doctors had evaluated a growth on his neck and determined that a tracheotomy was needed in order to help the patient breathe, swallow and speak. However, the patient believes that doctors did not properly evaluate the growth, which in turn caused complications when the tracheotomy was performed.
While performing the tracheotomy, a hole was made in the patient’s neck and a doctor attempted to insert a tube into the patient’s neck to provide air to the patient’s windpipe. However, after several failed attempts to put the tube into the patient’s neck, the patient had to be admitted to an intensive care unit. The patient suffered serious complications from the botched operation, including brain damage due to a lack of oxygen to his brain.
The man is seeking at least $500,000 in compensation for his injuries. His injuries have prevented him from being able to do some of the activities he was once able to do before the operation, and his injuries have also caused a great deal of emotional and physical pain.
Source: The Madison-St. Clair Record, “Problems with tracheotomy caused blindness, suit claims,” Kelly Holleran, Feb. 19, 2013
