Surgical error prompts woman to sue Louisiana doctor

Most residents of the state of Louisiana would prefer to do whatever they can to avoid having to undergo a surgical procedure. There are however times in which it is the only real possibility of a person’s medical condition improving. While there is of course a certain amount of risk involved with virtually any surgery, anyone who has an operation assumes that the health care providers involved in it will not engage in actions that might be deemed negligent. Unfortunately this does sometimes occur.

A Louisiana woman, who recently filed a lawsuit against a doctor and his business, claims that this is what happened to her. In her lawsuit she is seeking damages for the following:

• Loss of future earning capacity.
• Pain and suffering.
• Humiliation.
• Impairment of function and disability.
• Physical injury.
• Mental anguish.
• Inconvenience and distress.
• Loss of enjoyment of life.

In addition, she is also seeking damages to cover her medical expenses.

The surgical procedure that prompted this lawsuit occurred at the end of 2007. The woman underwent an operation in which an intervertebral spacer was placed in her neck. Following the surgery the doctor claimed that everything was working the way it was supposed to. At the same tine however the woman claimed that she continued to suffer from upper extremity problems and neck pain. Nearly a year after having the surgery, a different doctor informed the woman that the intervertebral spacer was improperly placed.

There are multiple issues that could arise in the course of a surgery. In other situations prompting medical malpractice cases patients may find that the wrong part of their body was operated on or that objects used in the course of a surgery were left inside of them. Certainly incorrectly positioning an object is an issue as well. How this case will be resolved remains to be seen. As all in this situation should do, the woman has retained a lawyer to represent her.

Source: The Louisiana Record, “Doctor sued for allegedly performing improper neck surgery,” Lizzy Fitzsousa, April 9, 2014