Before a medical procedure or treatment even begins, hospital staff and doctors must take a series of steps to ensure that a surgery goes smoothly. When mistakes are made or details are neglected, the patient is the one who suffers. Recently, a Florida man filed a lawsuit against an anesthesiologist for medical malpractice after an oversight resulted in the amputation of his male genitals.
The man was undergoing an elective surgical process to remedy his erectile dysfunction. According to the man, however, he should never have made it to the surgery. The anesthesiologist was responsible for clearing the man for surgery. The man was not a good candidate for the surgery because he has very high blood pressure and diabetes. These issues should have alerted the anesthesiologist, but he failed to recognize this. He cleared the man for surgery anyways.
While the surgery itself went smoothly, it was during the recovery period that the man developed a serious, gangrenous infection. The infection was so severe that he had to have the organ amputated. He claims his life has changed dramatically. Humiliated, he says, he can no longer do many things other men can do and filed a medical malpractice claim against the anesthesiologist.
According to the claim, while the anesthesiologist was not the one who performed the surgery, he was the one who wrongly cleared the man for surgery. He was the anesthesiologist present during the surgery, and also owns the company that provided the anesthetic care for the surgery. The patient claims the doctor was more focused on making a profit than keeping people safe.
It is not known why the man has decided to hold only the anesthesiologist responsible for his significant injuries. Did the surgeon make a mistake that led to the infection? Was there negligence in the aftercare process that caused the infection? While the anesthesiologist may have been one part of the negligence in this case, there may be more parties to consider in pursuing financial compensation for injuries.
Source: WSVN, “Man sues anesthesiologist for medical malpractice,” May 16, 2012
