Brave New Ward: Will Robots Replace Surgeons?
Robots are continuing to take more roles in our workforce, whether it be assisting drivers, factory workers or other jobs that have been historically performed by humans. In the near future, surgeons may be assisted by autonomous robots to carry out highly complex medical procedures with perfect accuracy. For almost two decades, da Vinci machines… Read more »
Tags: Medicine
Posted in Surgical Errors
Miami Butt Lift Surgeon Under Fire for Injuring Patients
A Miami butt lift surgeon is in hot water with the Florida Department of Health after allegedly injuring four patients. The doctor, who specializes in liposuction and Brazilian butt lifts, has disputed an attempt to revoke his medical license. Some of you may be unfamiliar with Brazilian butt lifts, so a short description is in… Read more »
Tags: PlasticSurgery
Posted in Surgical Errors
Hospital Nightmares: Patients Disfigured by Plastic Surgery Operations
Not all victims of surgical mistakes die, and some patients can live with the horrifying consequences for the rest of their lives. For example, a 55-year-old formerly morbidly obese woman underwent two procedures to remove excess skin so she could appear slimmer. Unfortunately, her doctor made several mistakes during the surgery. The woman is still… Read more »
Tags: PatientSafety
Posted in Surgical Errors
Report Allows Patients To Look Up Surgeon Records
When undergoing complex surgical procedures, it is important patients select the right doctor. A report by ProPublica has found that 11 percent of surgeons account for 25 percent of complications during surgery, suggesting patients might not always be as safe as they believe. Many surgeons with poor safety records had complication rates two to three… Read more »
Tags: SurgeryMistakes
Posted in Surgical Errors
Why Do “Never Events” Happen?
Last week, we wrote a blog post on the future of surgical procedures and the widespread use of advanced robotics. In the post, we discussed how robots were so accurate they could perform brain surgery on one of the world’s smallest insects and had error rates of close to zero percent. Human error during surgery,… Read more »
Tags: NeverEvents
Posted in Surgical Errors
What Can Happen to Patients Who Survive Medical Malpractice?
Surgical mistakes are a form of medical malpractice that can leave victims with permanent injuries. Last year, a Navy veteran sustained permanent brain damage after undergoing a colonoscopy at a Jacksonville hospital. The Florida veteran had obstructive sleep apnea, causing his airway to shut during anesthesia and putting him into cardiac arrest. The Navy veteran… Read more »
Posted in Surgical Errors
Are Florida Hospitals Subjecting Patients to Unnecessary Heart Surgeries?
When hospitals subject patients to unnecessary medical procedures, it puts patients at risk for serious injury or death. Recently unsealed documents from a federal lawsuit allege that several Florida hospitals might have subjected patients to unnecessary heart procedures and then submitted false claims for federal reimbursement. The suit was filed in 2012 by a professional… Read more »
Posted in Surgical Errors
Are Hospitals Performing Unnecessary Medical Procedures on Patients?
Thousands of patients are exposed to unnecessary medical procedures every year in the United States. According to the National Practitioner Database, since 2005, more than 1,000 doctors have attempted to settle medical malpractice claims brought against them for surgical errors. Recently, high profile cases of unnecessary surgeries have made national news. Former patients and surviving… Read more »
Posted in Surgical Errors
Is the Clinic That Operated on Joan Rivers Still Running?
Amidst the tragic saga of comedienne Joan Rivers’ untimely death and her daughter’s wrongful death lawsuit against the doctors, a federal agency has revealed that the clinic Rivers was treated in will be losing its accreditation at the end of January, 2015. The New York clinic will no longer receive federal funding for beneficiaries of… Read more »
Posted in Surgical Errors
Will the V.A. Take Responsibility for Infections Its Hospitals Caused?
The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has denied responsibility for many infections it warned that it might have caused several veterans in Tennessee and Florida over the course of the last decade. Over 6000 patients at the V.A.’s Alvin C. York Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and over 3,000 veterans at Bruce W. Carter V.A…. Read more »
Posted in Surgical Errors
