Doctors and surgeons make errors all the time. For that matter, so do lab technicians and medical testing laboratories. In one recent case, a mixup at the lab resulted in a patient being told that he had aggressive prostate cancer when, in fact, he had a perfectly healthy prostate gland.
In response to the mixed up lab results, the patient gave his physician the go-ahead to perform a prostatectomy. However, upon removal of the prostate and new lab result, the error was revealed. As it turned out, the lab made a mistake when testing the man’s initial biopsy samples. The entire procedure, the difficult healing that followed it and the risks and costs of the surgery were entirely unnecessary. Even worse, the medical error victim had no way of being made whole again.
The patient settled with this doctor and received a handsome surgical error settlement. Nevertheless, the very fact that this horrible mistake occurred, should serve as a warning to all Pennsylvania residents who rely on a doctor for medical advice. When it comes to invasive surgeries, seek a second opinion and be sure that your doctor and his or her staff know what they’re talking about.
If you were injured in some way as a result of medical malpractice or a surgical error — or if your loved one was killed because of this kind of medical negligence — you may have legal options available to seek financial compensation in court. Before you pursue such a lawsuit, however, make sure that you understand your situation fully, have identified all possible at-fault parties and have developed a sound legal strategy.
Source: U.S. News & World Report, “Doctor Said It Was Cancer, It Wasn’t, but News Came Too Late,” Doug Moore, Feb. 16, 2018
