More than five wrong surgeries occur every day, or more than 40 times each week in the United States according to the Joint Commission which accredits hospitals. One such example is the story of Kerry Higuera.
As reported by CNN, Kerry received an unnecessary CT scan to her abdomen when pregnant because she was misidentified as another patient. Her child may experience physical and mental growth problems because of the radiation exposure.
In another story today from Hearst, a doctor impregnated a woman with sperm that was not her husband’s, with the family only discovering this after the twins were born. The doctor may have even used his own sperm, according to news reports.
These are just two examples of thousands of patients injured by negligent medical care. Each year 98,000 people die – and countless others are injured – from preventable medical errors, including wrong-site and wrong-patient procedures. As the health care debate continues, we need to remember restricting the legal rights of patients will do nothing to fix health care, and only make it harder for those injured through no fault of their own to seek recourse.
Earlier this week, AAJ released videos of real people that have been injured by medical negligence. One of these people is Quanisha Scott. In 2007, 29-year-old Quanisha underwent a partial thyroidectomy to remove a goiter at a hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. Twelve hours later, she began to develop a shortness of breath and began feeling her neck tighten. Despite complaints to the nurses, her condition was not appropriately monitored or reported to a physician. She went into respiratory arrest and suffered severe brain damage. It was later discovered that she had a hematoma at the site of the surgery. She is now bed-ridden and totally dependent on her mother for care.
Watch the story below, and visit www.98000reasons.org to learn more.
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