News Category: Surgical Errors

20 mar

According to research conducted by John Hopkins University, 10 to 15 percent of the United States adult population have gallstone disease and around 800,000 operations are performed each year. The majority of patients suffering from gallstones do not require surgery, but the procedure is very common and statistically very safe. Billy Pierce, who is now

20 mar

Bernard Puiatti, Pam Bisaccia, Constance Nenni, and more than 250 other former patients of Dr. Spyros Panos, settled their vast medical malpractice lawsuit against him for $45 million. Spyros was released from prison one year ago this month, after serving less than three years of a four-and-a-half-year sentence for health care fraud. The U.S. government

11 jan

Kathy Arient, then 58, sought out medical attention in October 2012, complaining of severe stomach pains. She was referred to Dr. Yasser Alhaj-Hussein, who worked at the Orland Park Surgical Center in Illinois. According to a medical malpractice lawsuit, filed on behalf of Arient’s family, during a celiac plexus block procedure, intended to help manage

29 dec

After completing a 5k race in October 2012, Sandra Williams experienced an intense pain in her neck. Barely able to move her head, Williams, then 55, consulted doctors at St. Francis Hospital in Columbus, Georgia. She quickly agreed to undergo a neck operation scheduled just four days after the race. The surgery was deemed a

29 nov

Jury Finds Eastern Maine Medical Center & Surgeon Negligent for Medical Malpractice; Awards Robbie Nason $2 Million On July 17, 2013, Robbie Nason went to work at Old Town Canoe located in Old Town, Maine, just as he had for over a decade. Nason, 49, started building boats for Old Town Canoe in 1989 and

17 oct

New York State Settles Medical Malpractice Lawsuit; Agrees to Pay Abdusalamov Family $22 Million Magomed Abdusalamov, formerly a professional boxer from the Republic of Dagestan, was undefeated entering his last fight on November 2, 2013. The match was held in the Theater at Madison Square Garden, located in midtown Manhattan, before thousands of spectators. The

16 aug

Pennsylvania Surgeon Found Negligent for the Death of Thomas A. Natale; A Mercer County Jury Awards Family $5.1 Million Nearly a decade ago, Thomas A. Natale Jr. was standing on the back of a truck at work when he lost his balance and began to fall. Natale tried to brace himself before he hit the

14 jul

Louisiana Appellate Court Upholds Verdict & Increases Award by $1,186,000 After seeing a gastroenterologist in August 2013 about a pain in his upper right abdomen, Roger Burchfield was referred to the Willis-Knighton Medical Center in Shreveport, Louisiana. Forrest Wright, a surgeon at the medical center, determined that Burchfield, then 58, required immediate gallbladder surgery. Before

28 jun

Florida Doctor Found Negligent; Deceased Woman’s Family Awarded $949,000 Jeanne Marks decided to undergo reconstructive surgery on her foot in May 2014. She elected to have the surgery on her forefoot performed at the Delray Medical Center, located in South Florida. Before the operation Brian Coleman, Marks’ doctor, instructed an internal medicine specialist to conduct

15 may

Last year when Roland N. Smith, 83-years-old, learned that he had a cancerous tumor growing on his right kidney he was relieved to learn that it could be safely removed. By the time Smith arrived at the Idaho Falls hospital for surgery the tumor had grown to the size of a grapefruit. Despite the growth

10 apr

After taking a nasty fall in August 2011, Tonya Valentine could not walk.  She was then rushed to the emergency room where doctors found that she had badly fractured her ankle during the fall. The fracture was so severe that she required surgery. The procedure appeared to be successful, but her wound would not heal

10 apr

All biopsies can be scary because of the uncertainty of what they may uncover. But the procedure itself is routine and rarely causes any issues. This was not the case, however, for Beverly Wilson, who went in for a biopsy in December 2013 and left with second and third-degree burns to her face, neck, shoulder,

24 mar

When Kevin Clanton walked into the Windsor Health Center in June 2008, then just 28-years-old, he could have never anticipated experiencing kidney failure four years later. But after hearing arguments from his lawyers and an attorney representing the federal government, Judge Nancy Rosenstengel ruled that the kidney failure and subsequent transplant could have been avoided

01 oct

On September 12, 2008, Arvia Johnson filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Dr. H. Jeffrey Schwartz in Maryland, contending that the physician had committed negligence in an outpatient colonoscopy surgery. After a 5-day trial, the jury ruled in Johnson’s favor and he was awarded a settlement of $23,791.19 for his medical costs, as well as

01 oct

A four-day medical malpractice trial in Pennsylvania concluded with the jury awarding a man from Hatsboro, Pennsylvania $4 million. The man had brought the case against his physician when he received nerve damage from a procedure performed in his physician’s office. The decision is unique in that it is the first medical malpractice verdict in