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Dr. Gary Kao, the Philadelphia Veterans Administration physician accused of botching the prostate cancer treatments he performed on dozens of patients has admitted wrongdoing.

Dr. Kao treated hundreds of men for prostate cancer, using brachytherapy, a procedure in which tiny radioactive seeds are implanted into the prostate to treat the disease. A recent investigation of the VA hospital found that 92 out of 116 patients treated there received incorrect doses of the seeds because they were implanted into nearby organs rather than the intended location.

Perhaps even more disturbing than the fact that he “sometimes missed his target”, as he put it, is the fact that Kao admitted under questioning that he failed to inform the patients when he made the errors nor notify them that they had received an incorrect dose as a result.

The brachytherapy program has been suspended at the VA hospital where Dr. Kao performed the botched treatments, and although he still maintains his medical license, he has stopped performing the surgeries and has taken a leave of absence as of last week.

It is unclear the number of medical malpractice cases that will come as a result of this doctor’s negligence, but it is certain that there will be many victims that he will have to answer to.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529544,00.html 

In a rare move, a Florida judge decided to throw out a jury’s verdict and grant Lisa Strong a new trial in her medical malpractice claim.  He felt the evidence was overwhelming in the case where a kidney stone was misdiagnosed causing a life threatening infection that resulted in amputation of all four of Strong’s limbs.

In September of 2003, Strong was at work when she started feeling ill.  She decided to go to the ER when her fever hit 106 degrees and she was having trouble walking.

Strong immediately informed the nurse treating her that she’d had a history of kidney stones and felt that she was experiencing another one.  But her concerns were ignored, and so was her kidney stone.  Left untreated for a month, the stone led to a deadly infection and septic shock which cut off the blood flow to her arms and legs.

When the infection first started to set in, Strong thought if she exercised she could get the circulation to her limbs back.  She was gravely mistaken.  A month after her first ER visit, doctors were forced to amputate all four of her limbs to save her life.

Ms. Strong sued the doctors for negligence but the jury ruled against her.  Judge Charles M. Greene disagreed, however, and reversed the jury’s decision.  He stated that the verdict was “contrary to the law and the manifest weight of the evidence”.

It’s extremely rare that a judge reverse a jury’s verdict.  In fact, it happens in less than a half a percent of cases.  Judge Greene clearly saw the impact that the misdiagnosis and other medical mistakes had on Ms. Strong’s life and felt it warranted justice.

Learn more about Lisa’s story at www.lisastrong.org.

OSF HealthCare System has agreed to pay $12 million for the care and medical costs of Jeremy Law, who suffered massive brain damage as a result of lack of oxygen during his 2004 birth. Jeremy now lives with a debilitating type of spastic cerebral palsy, requires a ventilator and needs 24-hour care.

According to his parents’ lawsuit, hospital staff failed to recognize and respond to fetal distress in a timely manner and these failures caused oxygen deprivation and subsequent brain damage.

Though the settlement amount is significant, it does not make up for the mental anguish and suffering that Jeremy and his parents must face every day. “The family is breathing a great sigh of relief that this aspect of their life is concluding, but no one should mistake this for a windfall,” a medical lawyer for the family said.

The term medical malpractice usually conjures up images of a doctor physically harming patients, leaving them injured or hurt.  There is another kind of negligence, however, that rarely results in a patient suffering from any kind of physical pain or harm, however victims of this type of malpractice can suffer just as much.

In cases of psychiatric malpractice, victims are left with mental and emotional, rather than physical scars.  But if this type of malpractice seems somehow less damaging than others, it isn’t.  In fact, the results of psychiatric malpractice can be equally devastating, if not more so.

Such is the recent case of young Ashlie Bunch, who committed suicide while supposedly under the care of trained psychiatrists and staff at the McGraw Residential Center in Seattle.  She was just 15 years old.

Ashlie’s adoptive father Steve recalls a somewhat troubled child who “thrived with love” but also suffered from a mental illness.  When she began acting out, threatening teachers and bringing a knife to school, she was ordered by a judge to enter a psychiatric facility.

In a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Ashlie’s family, the facility’s staff was supposed to check on her every five minutes.  They neglected to do this, and on January 29, 2008, the teenager hung herself in her room with a pair of shoelaces.  Perhaps most concerning is the fact that the shoelaces were given to Ashlie by a staff member.

Psychiatric malpractice and negligence may not result in visible bruises and scars on its victims, but the damage it does to those already suffering from mental illness is often far worse.  If you feel that you have been hurt by a psychiatrist or mental healthcare provider, you should know your rights.  Contact a medical lawyer to discuss your situation right away.

The family of a Wisconsin girl who was left permanently disabled after a botched spleen-removal has received a settlement in their surgical malpractice case against Dr. Leonard Go.

According to court documents, during the surgery, which was performed in June 2007 at St. Mary’s Hospital, Dr. Go used a blender-like device to assist in removing the child’s spleen.

The surgeon admitted to failing to notify the girl’s parents that he was using the device, which he also admitted he had never used before.

The device ended up causing massive internal damage, leaving little Shelbey Bomkamp, now 8 years old, with permanent brain injuries.  She cannot speak, can only eat through a feeding tube and requires round-the-clock care.

According to the Bomkamp’s medical attorney, the award of over $17 million is the largest in Dane County history.

Source: www.NewRichmond-News.com

There has been another delay in the wrongful death trial over an Irish woman who died following plastic surgery she had in Manhattan in 2005.  The pre-trial hearing has been set for June.  The accused, Dr. Michael Evan Sachs, has been dubbed “Dr. Botch” by the media due to the lengthy list of medical malpractice claims against him, totalling more than 30 since 1995.

Kay Cregan, 42 year old mother of two, underwent a facelift with Dr. Sachs on March 14, 2005.  Shortly after the surgery she collapsed in a recovery room.  She died several days later when she was removed from life support.

Sach’s medical license has since been revoked, though it is unclear why it took so long, and so many malpractice cases, to prompt this disciplinary action.  It is said that he currently maintains the worst malpractice record in the US.

The trial, which was supposed to begin back in January 2008, has been delayed multiple times, frustrating the Cregan family and preventing them from receiving the justice they rightfully deserve.  They are seeking unspecified monetary damages based on the loss of a wife and mother as well as Ms. Cregan’s pain and suffering that she endured in the days before her death.

If ever there was an example of the importance of researching the doctors with whom you plan to seek treatment, this is it.  With a history like Dr. Sach’s, it should have been evident that to undergo surgery with him would present a risk not worth taking.  Unfortunately, many people skip this critical step when seeking medical care and end up victims of medical malpractice as a result.

If you have suffered at the hands of a negligent doctor, or lost someone you love to medical malpractice, you may be able to receive compensation for your loss.  Speak with a medical attorney right away to find out how.

A Massachusetts family is preparing to file a lawsuit over the 2008 death of Charles Rondeau in an apparent case of EMT Malpractice.

Last year, on Mother’s Day, Mr. Rondeau began feeling ill.  He was sweating, short of breath and complaining of chest pains.  His daughter called for an ambulance while his wife rushed home from work to tend to her husband.

When Mrs. Rondeau arrived home and began her ascent up the three flights of stairs that led to the couple’s apartment, she was met on the way by a disturbing sight.  Paramedics were walking her husband down the steps rather than carrying him, a violation of state standards of care.

Shortly after arriving at the emergency room, Mr. Rondeau was pronounced dead.  The cause of death was an “extensive anterior wall myocardial infarction”.  Simply put, he had a massive heart attack.

After burying her husband, Joan Rondeau began to grow suspicious of the way her husband’s case had been handled by the EMT’s.  She became particularly concerned when her daughter noticed that it was documented in the medical records that Mr. Rondeau had been carried down the stairs by paramedics.

After being ignored by the ambulance service when she contacted them about what was written in the report, Mrs. Rondeau brought the discrepancy to the attention of state regulators.  Following a subsequent department of health investigation, the ambulance service was issued a Notice of Serious Deficiency, citing widespread concerns with the company that extended beyond the incident with Mr. Rondeau.

The attempt to cover up what really occurred prompted swift and severe action on the part of the DPH, who recommended the immediate suspension of the licenses of two EMT’s involved.

The Rondeau family is still working to pick up the pieces after last years senseless tragedy and a death that quite possibly could have been prevented.  The family’s medical attorney has stated that he expects to officially file their EMT malpractice lawsuit within the next two months.  More to follow as the case unfolds.

A 61 year old woman from Augusta, Maine is suing her dentist, Dr. Jan Kippax, and Androscoggin Oral and Maxillovacial Surgeons, in a case of dental malpractice.  Nancy Jacob claims that she now suffers from painful permanent nerve damage after Dr. Kippax botched a biopsy.

In December 2002, Jacob sought treatment from Kippax when she began experiencing pain in the area where she had had a previous tooth extraction.  Kippax prescribed antibiotics and advised her to return for a follow up in 10 days after X-rays revealed nothing of concern.

When she returned to see Dr. Kippax, Jacob was experiencing more pain and some numbness so a biopsy was recommended.  It is during this procedure that Jacob claims Kippax was negligent, violating the standard of care she was entitled to.

Jacob’s medical attorney described what happened, stating that Kippax “went far beyond the area of potential infection and injured the nerve that runs from the cheek-to-nose area”.

During the trial, which began this week, a series of photographs were shown, ranging from Jacob’s childhood to present, profiling how her smile had gone from broad to almost nothing.  The lawsuit claims that the nerve damage caused by the botched biopsy procedure has left Jacob unable to smile without pain.
Ms. Jacob and her attorney are asking for an undisclosed amount for medical bills as well as pain, suffering, and permanent impairment.  The trial is expected to last about a week.

Source:  kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com

A jury in Georgia has begun deliberating over a case of surgical malpractice that has left a man paralized from the waist down.

According to evidence presented during the week-long trial, in February 2005 Randall Scroggs underwent a surgery in which Dr. Karl Schultz attempted to insert a spinal cord stimulator into his spine.  The lawsuit alleges that Dr. Shultz failed to follow proper procedure and rather than using diagnostic or MRI imaging to assist him during the surgery, he performed it “blindly”.

Among the claims, Scroggs’ medical attorney also accuses Dr. Schultz of inserting the stimulator without proper informed consent.  Scroggs was never informed of the alternative methods (diagnostic or MRI) and therefore claims that the surgery was performed without his legal consent.

A surgical error during the procedure resulted in Scroggs being paralyzed from the waist down.  He is seeking damages in the amount of $3 million.

This is yet another example of how life-altering spinal cord injuries can truly be.  When those injuries occur as a result of a surgical error, medical lawyers can help to ensure that the doctor responsible pays for his negligence.  If you or a loved one has been a victim of surgical malpractice, contact an attorney right away to discuss your rights.

Source: accessnorthga.com

Several weeks ago a story broke regarding several VA hospitals discovered to have been using contaminated equipment on thousands of patients, potentially exposing them to a multitude of diseases and urging anyone who had undergone a colonoscopy at any of the three facilities in question be tested for possible infection.  In a blatant case of medical negligence, three of those veterans affected have now tested positive for HIV.

More than 10,000 patients who received colonoscopies at VA facilities in Augusta, Georgia, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Miami, Florida were potentially exposed to the bodily fluids of other patients when the endoscopic equipment used during the procedure was found not to have been sterilized properly in between uses.

In addition to the three vets who tested positive for HIV, there have also been a total of six who tested positive for hepatitis B and nineteen for hepatitis C.

Perhaps the most disturbing fact is that, according to a statement made by the VA, it is still unknown whether veterans treated at the 150 other facilities across the country may have also been exposed to unsanitary equipment before the nationwide safety training campaign was concluded in March.  The problems, which were uncovered in December during the campaign, date back more than five years.

It remains to be seen whether more veterans will be found to be infected with any of the above diseases as testing continues.