Hospital Withholds Information After Surgical Mistake

Posted on October 06, 2014 by Shapiro Law Group

A woman is accusing Florida Hospital Winter Park of withholding crucial information about her botched rectal surgery. She has petitioned a judge to order the hospital to release the information, citing state and federal laws.

Before the tragic mishap, the 68-year-old woman was in reasonably good health. She exercised regularly and was not on any medications. In December 2013, her fiancé told her she needed to schedule a colonoscopy as a precautionary measure.

She was absolutely shocked to learn that samples taken during her colonoscopy showed an aggressive form of rectal cancer. She spent several months believing she was going to die:

“I literally had my daughter drive down … from Minnesota for Christmas because we all thought this was probably the last Christmas we would be together,” she recalled.

How Do I Know If I Was Misdiagnosed?

Several signs leading up to the surgery pointed to misdiagnosis. After a series of pre-operative biopsies came back negative, the woman asked hospital personnel to double-check the labwork. They confirmed, once again, that she had cancer.

The woman underwent doctor-recommended rectal surgery to remove the cancerous area, but labwork showed that tissue was cancer-free as well. On May 4, her doctor called her to say that DNA analysis proved there had never been any cancer.

At first, the woman says she felt “euphoric… like a big, heavy shroud had been taken away from me.” But afterward, she had questions about what caused the mixup, and why no one discovered the mistake until after she had already undergone very invasive surgery.

The victim is requesting detailed records, documenting the mix-up, lab results and surgical procedures, but Florida Hospital is refusing to provide them. According to her suit, the hospital’s secrecy breaks federal and state laws, so she is requesting that a judge order the hospital to release the documents.

Florida Medical Malpractice Attorneys

Hospitals will go to great lengths to hide their negligence and avoid paying damages. There are laws in place to protect medical malpractice victims, but most need an experienced attorney to help them develop an effective legal strategy.

The attorneys at Shapiro Law Group know the law, and they are dedicated to helping you. If you have questions about your medical injury, you can schedule a free consultation online or over the phone.

Shapiro Law Group Medical Malpractice Attorneys Serving the Tampa Bay Area

Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-lab-mixup-rectal-surgery-lawsuit-20140902-story.html

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