Parents put their trust in doctors when a child needs medical attention. For many parents, trusting the doctors works out in the end, and the child gets adequate medical care. There are some instances, however, in which doctors make errors. New Jersey residents might like to read about a little boy who won a settlement after a doctor left surgical wire left in the boy’s body.
A toddler was taken to a hospital for dehydration in August 2011. As part of the treatment, doctors inserted a catheter into the boy’s leg vein. In February 2012, the boy’s parents noticed what looked like a cyst on the boy’s neck. An x-ray revealed two pieces of surgical wire in the boy’s chest. One of those wires was going up to his head.
Apparently, when the surgical wire wasn’t removed in August of 2011, it broke into two pieces and migrated through his body. After the wires were revealed on the x-ray, the boy had to have them surgically removed.
The toddler’s parents filed a complaint against the hospital for the doctor errors that resulted in the guide wire being left in the boy. They claimed there was no procedure to catch the left-behind guide wire. They also claim the doctor who treated the boy had been working 40 hours prior to the procedure.
A jury recently awarded the family $1 million after it determined the doctor was negligent. The family hopes the hospital will institute measures to prevent this from occurring again.
If you or a loved one has been injured due to a surgical error or any form of medical malpractice, you might have the right to seek compensation for damages. An experienced New Jersey medical malpractice attorney can guide you through the process of filing a complaint and seeking compensation.
Source: KING5.com, “$1 million verdict in case over surgical wire left in toddler” No author given, Dec. 19, 2013