When suffering from a physical ailment, most people would not hesitate to go to a doctor for treatment. But what happens when the doctor makes a mistake or is negligent and actually causes the individual more harm?
One patient was suffering from low-back pain and sought the help of a doctor. His doctor recommended an intravenous pain medication, which the patient tried for a little over a week. During the trial period, the patient reported pain relief from the injected pain medication.
The doctor then recommended a continuation of the treatment with a permanent implantation of a medical device designed to pump the pain medication into the patient’s system. The patient agreed to the procedure, not knowing that this decision would result in a brain injury.
After the pump was inserted, the doctor, along with a representative from the company that manufactured the device, decided to double the dosage. They also decided to substitute a much stronger medication than what had been used in the trial run.
Within a day the patient was found unresponsive and was rushed to the hospital where it was determined that he suffered brain damage and organ failure. The overdose caused the man both physical and mental pain and suffering. He filed a lawsuit against the physician, alleging that doubling the dosage and using a different painkiller constituted negligence.
When an injury results from a doctor’s negligent actions, there are not just physical and mental consequences. A patient may also face additional medical expenses that are incurred because of the injury. A medical malpractice lawsuit often seeks to compensate an injured patient’s expenses as well as prevent the same mistake from happening again.
Source: The Southeast Texas Record, “Man sues doctor, Medtronic for overdose of pain meds,” Kelly Holleran, June 11, 2012
