Anesthesiologist ordered to pay $1 million for surgical error

When trust in medical providers turns out to be unearned and a medical error is discovered, Pennsylvania patients have reason to be concerned and upset. These cases can involve many different problems including the wrong medication being prescribed, a missed diagnosis, surgical errors and more. Depending upon the situation, an individual healthcare professional can be held responsible and other times the potential responsibility is sharable between many parties.

One medical malpractice lawsuit that was recently settled by a jury decision in Wisconsin was levied against three parties—St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, St. Clair Anesthesia and the individual anesthesiologist. According to a news report detailing the case, the hospital settled its case directly with the plaintiff just before a trial was to begin in February of this year. The amount of the settlement has not been disclosed.

The doctor, however, chose to go through the trial that later saw the St. Clair County jury award $1 million to the plaintiff. The anesthesiologist was accused of improper use of medical equipment for a catheterization during a heart surgery. In addition, it was alleged that he failed to obtain proper permission to conduct the procedure. The woman died due to the problems associated with these errors.

A fatal surgical error such as this can cause great trauma to surviving family members and friends. Anyone who has been affected by situations like these could benefit from talking to an attorney about their options for compensation. This can be one way of holding medical staff accountable for their actions.

Source: The Madison-St. Clair Record, “St. Clair County jury awards $1 million in medical malpractice case,” Ann Maher, March 5, 2014