Everyday thousands upon thousands of people put their life into the hands of a doctor, by choice or by necessity. Any job where a human is involved has a certain amount of human error. Unfortunately for those in the medical field a human error can lead to claims against them, ruined reputations and can even end their career. The following are 5 shocking and downright scary cases of medical mistakes. Do not read this if you are about to leave for a doctors appointment unless you want to be incredibly uncomfortable…and hope with all your might that you never find yourself having to recount one of these stories for a lawyer.
Diarrhea to Deafness
A woman visiting a hospital located in Dallas, TX got more than she bargained for. The woman who was to receive an intravenous treatment for diarrhea noticed that her IV had been in too long. She feels that the doctor knew this also but did nothing. The ramifications of having the IV in her arm too long was a life sentence. The woman is completely deaf in both ears and her hearing will never return due to the damage done to the cells in her ears. It is now very difficult for her to carry out tasks that previously were not a problem at all.
Lung Faux Pas
In 2005 when a man went to the doctor complaining of chest pain, he was given a diagnosis of lung cancer. To promptly remedy the problem and keep it from spreading the man had his lung removed. Now left with one lung, breathing is hard and his mobility is impaired. Perhaps the worst part however, is that he never had cancer at all and his lung had been perfectly healthy. One has to wonder why the doctor didn’t try to find out more prior to removing a healthy lung.
No Turning Back
Doctors figured that the operation they were performing on a 52 year old man was just a routine leg amputation. It was a routine leg amputation; however, half way through the surgery someone realized that something was wrong. They were right–but they were very wrong about the leg that they were amputating. By the time they realized they were removing the wrong leg there was no way to turn back and reattach it. This news came at a point when it would have been impossible to reattach the leg.
Simple Procedures
A man whose wife had just announced she was pregnant with their fourth child, booked a vasectomy with his doctor. It sounds like the beginning of a joke, but the way this story end is definitely not humorous. The man, who had received local anesthetic, was still feeling a lot of pain during the procedure. The doctor continued working until the man was balled up and vomiting. When the doctor stopped, he and the patient observed one testicle double in size and turn black. The pain never went away and years later the man had to have his testicles removed.
