It appeared that the suffering from physical pain was finally over for a 34-year-old patient who sought the help of Chicago doctors at a hospital to treat chronic headaches and neck pain. However, due to a doctor’s mistake in following up with the man’s initial treatment, he now must take drugs to combat lung damage and a seizure disorder for the rest of his life.
When the man went to the hospital, doctors examined him and determined that he had a certain type of aneurysm, which had to be removed through surgery. Even though the surgery apparently went off without a hitch, the man was not out of the woods yet. A serious mistake was made after his surgery when a wrong drug was used for an angiogram.
Following the man’s surgery, Chicago doctors performed an angiogram to examine the patient’s internal organs, veins and arteries for any complications. In order to highlight these areas, doctors usually inject patients with a dye called “IC Green.” However, the doctor overseeing the procedure for the man used a highly poisonous green dye called “Brilliant Green” by mistake. This dye was not designed for angiograms. In fact, it was designed to dye fabric. The only reason it was present in the hospital was because it was occasionally used as a topical anesthetic.
A lawyer representing the patient in a subsequent lawsuit that was filed earlier this month questioned why no other doctors second-guessed the use of the poisonous dye during the procedure. The lawsuit also states that doctors should have known they were using the wrong dye because the dye that is usually used for angiograms comes in powder form. The dye used on the patient at the Chicago hospital was liquid.
The man suffered a number of complications as a result of the mishap, which will affect his quality of life. He sustained permanent damage to his lungs and now relies on an inhaler. The man also must take medication in order to hold off the seizures that he is now prone to as a result of the incident.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times, “Lawyer: Green clothing dye mistaken for medical dye a ‘fiasco,’” Hunter Clauss and James Scalzitti, April 6, 2012
