Whenever patients and their physicians decide that surgery is the best option, they inherently trust that their surgeons have the skill and knowledge to complete the procedure as safely as possible. However, there are cases in which a patient is treated by a surgeon who is not skilled enough, or who does not have the necessary knowledge to complete the procedure without causing harm to the patient. Recently, another medical malpractice lawsuit has been filed against an embattled New Mexico surgeon who has faced nine previous complaints.
In the most recent lawsuit, a patient filed claims against both the surgeon and Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. The claims initiated from a surgery that, instead of correcting the patient’s problem, actually caused other complications and problems. One of the main causes of injury, according to the lawsuit, is that the surgeon made an abnormally large opening in the patient’s body during surgery. The patient was discharged from the hospital after surgery, but was re-admitted to the ER approximately a week later with claims of acute abdominal pain.
At that time, the same surgeon performed an additional surgery in order to correct the damage from the first operation. After the second, unnecessary, surgery, the patient was admitted into the care of the University of New Mexico Hospital due to complications that arose from the operation. The surgeon in this case has been sued 10 times in the state of New Mexico since 2008.
The patient in this case was exposed to increased harm due to the normal risks of infection and because he underwent general anesthesia a second time. Patients who have dealt with negligent medical care have the right to seek financial reparations by filing a medical malpractice lawsuit against the physician/s and hospitals who treat them. It may benefit a patient to contact an attorney who focuses on medical malpractice law in order to explore available legal options.