On behalf of Barry D. Lang, M.D. & Associates posted in Surgical Errors on Monday, June 17, 2013
Massachusetts residents undergo nose surgeries to enhance or change their appearance, but not many can say they've undergone 24 nose surgeries. An Oklahoma City man didn't need a nose job but wanted to do something for himself. He said it was supposed to be a minor tweak to his slightly asymmetric nostrils. However, seven years and over 20 surgeries later, he has had to address complications like cartilage problems and misplaced skin. The 35-year-old man's nostrils are completely gone. Instead, they've been replaced by a straw that holds open a collapsing tunnel.
The man filed a lawsuit in a Tulsa County District Court against his surgeon on May 31. He accused the surgeon of surgeon malpractice for causing him to be deformed. The lawsuit asks for undisclosed damages in excess of about $75,000. According to the plaintiff, he wasn't always disappointed with the work the cosmetic surgeon preformed. After the original surgery, he developed breathing problems which caused him to return for another surgery.
On behalf of Barry D. Lang, M.D. & Associates posted in Failure to Diagnose & Misdiagnosis on Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Patients who live in Massachusetts may be interested in a case involving a misdiagnosis in another state. One man was told on multiple occasions that the pain in his throat was not due to cancer but was caused by acid reflux. Seven months later, a resident tried a simple procedure that led him to discover that the man had a tumor the size of a peach pit. The man was required to undergo surgery to have the tumor removed and now cannot speak at conversational levels. Had the misdiagnosis not occurred, it may have been possible save the man's voice.
These stories are unfortunately not rare. Experts believe that misdiagnosis occurs in between 10 and 20 percent of cases. Mistakes like these are far more common than drug mistakes or errors during surgery, but receive less attention.
On behalf of Barry D. Lang, M.D. & Associates posted in Anesthesia & Medication Errors on Monday, June 10, 2013
Medical errors can cost providers big bucks, but the real caveat when being checked in to a hospital is how those errors can affect patients. Whether it's Boston General or any of Massachusetts' other major hospitals, an error in medical procedures can result in complications, secondary health problems or even death. A recent study by the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority states that a mistake can cost between $17 billion to more than $1 trillion. The article discusses reasons why these mistakes can happen.
Some of those reasons include confusing the identity of patients sharing a room, ignoring established safety protocol used to identify the correct patient and choosing the wrong patient from an automated dispensing cabinet. More than 40 percent of the errors occur on the administrative side and 38 percent from transcribing a paper medication order to its electronic form. Twelve percent stem from prescribing errors and 5 percent from administering an incorrect drug.
On behalf of Barry D. Lang, M.D. & Associates posted in Failure to Diagnose & Misdiagnosis on Saturday, June 8, 2013
In the medical field, a 'near miss" means that an error made by someone worked out in the end. In other words, the patient didn't suffer long-term injury or loss of life because someone made a mistake. While hospitals and medical professionals in Massachusetts and states across the nation do all they can to properly care for patients, the fact remains that mistakes happen. Whether that error is a misdiagnosis or a surgery on the wrong part of the body, the fact remains that medical professionals are human, and sometimes humans make negligent mistakes.
Hospitals have taken a number of measures that they hope will lessen these errors. Computerized prescriptions, bar codes on patient wristbands and safety check procedures are just some of the ways medical facilities have put checks and balances in place for more effective patient care. However, one of the problems is that no one is tracking how many near misses actually occur.
On behalf of Barry D. Lang, M.D. & Associates posted in Failure to Diagnose & Misdiagnosis on Thursday, June 6, 2013
In the state of Massachusetts, misdiagnosis can be grounds for a medical malpractice suit if the failure to diagnose violated standards of reasonable care under the circumstances and resulted in demonstrable injury to the patient. Misdiagnosis is not a Massachusetts issue alone, of course. A new report notes that 39 percent of all malpractice payments at the national level are compensations for incorrect, delayed or absent diagnoses.
In an effort to lessen the incidence of misdiagnoses, the medical community is looking for ways in which physicians and patients can collaborate here. Patients are sometimes unclear when it comes to communicating the full range of symptoms that prompted them to make an appointment with their physician. They may leave out salient portions of their medical history or their family history, either because they've forgotten this history themselves, or because they believe it is irrelevant.
On behalf of Barry D. Lang, M.D. & Associates posted in Surgical Errors on Saturday, June 1, 2013
Intuitive, the maker of robotic surgery systems, is accused of behaving like a 'car dealership," according to testimony in a medical malpractice lawsuit. The estate of a man who died as the result of surgical errorsis now suing the group for more than $8 million. The company that makes the da Vinci robotic surgical system is now facing at least 26 lawsuits alleging that the company failed to properly train physicians in the use of its robotic surgical machinery. Robotic surgery is currently used in many Boston hospitals and other locations throughout the country.
Robots manufactured by Intuitive were used in at least 300,000 U.S. operations in 2012. The company recently simplified its requirements for training in order to win approval for the devices from the United States Food and Drug Administration. The doctor who performed the surgery had performed at least 100 successful prostate removals using traditional surgical methods, but the victim's surgery was the first time he had used the robotic system without supervision.
On behalf of Barry D. Lang, M.D. & Associates posted in Anesthesia & Medication Errors on Thursday, May 30, 2013
Doctors who prescribe medications to Boston, Massachusetts patients and fail to review their chart for any medical issues risk causing an adverse reaction. Greater care for patients is needed to ensure medical choices do not cause harm. The doctor prescribing the medication should take responsibility for their actions regardless of whether or not patients sufficiently recover. However, many practitioners often choose to follow outdated protocols.
Many medical professionals do not see the need to speak up about a mistake with medication or after a successful operation following an anesthesia error. If the patient makes a full recovery, then the issue is often unnoticed. One reason many members of the medical field are reluctant to mention a mistake or an error is the possibility of a malpractice suit. The downside is a doctor can be seen as hiding something when mistakes are found out after the fact.
On behalf of Barry D. Lang, M.D. & Associates posted in Surgical Errors on Friday, May 24, 2013
The quality of care that Massachusetts residents receive when they go to a hospital for a surgical procedure may depend on how many distractions are present in the operating room. Surgical rooms are not always quiet and interruption-free. Medical machinery often makes sounds, medical professionals are not always able to turn off communication devices and some surgeons listen to music while operating. This is of concern because recent studies suggest that the more distractions doctors have to deal with, the more likely they are to make surgical errors.
A study done by the University of Kentucky Medical Center found that in the presence of background noise, doctors' ability to understand and repeat unpredictable words back to researchers was diminished; however, a doctor's speech comprehension was impacted by music only when they were performing a task. Music has long been a point of contention for medical professionals; some believe it reduces concentration while others feel that it is soothing and helps surgeons focus on their work.
On behalf of Barry D. Lang, M.D. & Associates posted in Birth Injuries on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Massachusetts residents might be interested to hear that planned at-home births should also follow newborn care standards just like in-hospital ones do. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics' policy, planned at-home delivery babies should receive the same level of care as those born in birthing centers or hospitals. The academy also advises that there should be pre-established arrangements for newborns to be transported to hospitals if need be during such birthings. The AAP also states that planned at-home births should have certified midwives or physicians present.
The number of planned pregnancies has reportedly risen. However, according to a meta-analysis by the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, newborns that are born at home have a higher rate of suffering from birth injuries and neonatal deaths than those who are birthed in hospitals or birthing clinics. The number of mothers who died giving birth showed no difference between those who used facilities and those who gave birth at home.
On behalf of Barry D. Lang, M.D. & Associates posted in Failure to Diagnose & Misdiagnosis on Monday, May 20, 2013
Massachusetts residents considering filing malpractice claims might be interested to hear that a woman in another state's medical malpractice claim may possibly be doomed because it arrived one day after the two-year statute of limitations expired. Although the La Porte, Indiana, woman mailed her paperwork one day before the deadline, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled it still is not considered timely since it was not mailed via certified or registered mail through the U.S. Postal Service.
The woman had mailed her medical malpractice claim, which asserts that an area hospital and staff were responsible for her husband's death, in to the courts via FedEx. However, the Court of Appeals unanimously agreed that only mail that is sent via the U.S. Postal Service, whether it is a letter, form or malpractice claim based on misdiagnosis, is considered filed on the day of the mailing. Therefore, it seems the woman's claim may go uncompensated due to a technical error.
