A growing number of medical procedures are becoming outpatient procedures. These procedures are performed in non-hospital clinics and often result in a single overnight stay or the patient going home within hours of surgery. Because of this, some residents of Phoenix, Arizona, may not realize how serious these procedures can be.
When medications and surgical procedures mix, there is the risk that something could happen. For one women, whose family plans to file a medical malpractice suit in another state, what may have been a routine cosmetic surgery became a life-threatening and life-altering event. The woman’s story began in Aug. 2013 when she underwent surgery for breast augmentation.
According to reports, the woman was rushed to a local emergency room after being out of surgery for just over an hour. The physician performing the surgery reported that there were complications. He said the anesthetist reported that the woman had a very low heart rate. Chest compressions and atropine were required to keep the woman alive.
The doctor later reported that the woman had a previous incident occur when giving birth to her son. According to the doctor, she received a spinal anesthetic during the labor and that resulted in her requiring intubation. The doctor also said the woman told him she stopped smoking, did not take medications and had not taken medication since having some seizure issues eight years before. She also reportedly told him she didn’t have problems with anesthesia.
According to documents, the doctor who performed the surgery has no history of medical malpractice issues. The anesthesiologist, however, has been involved in a medical malpractice case and has a history of prescribing illegal drugs. He was previously sentenced to 30 months in prison for illegal drug prescribing and had to work under supervision for a year following a six-month suspension.
To reduce risks when undergoing any type of procedures, patients should disclose all medical issues. When something occurs that causes prolonged and unnecessary pain and suffering after a procedure, patients have the right to consider and seek a compensation claim. The woman in this case was in a coma for some time, but is finally at home. She is bed bound and requires 24-hour care. Not only has she lost the ability to live life normally, but her family is burdened by the expense and stress of her care.
Source: The Sacramento Bee, “Homestead woman who fell into coma after cosmetic surgery struggles with new reality” Maria Perez, Feb. 07, 2014