Medical professionals in North Carolina are often well-trained and work long hours to ensure that their patients receive the best possible medical care. However, some doctors make mistakes, and while all humans make mistakes, errors on the part of medical professionals can have devastating, long-term consequences for their patients. When these errors occur, affected patients have the option of seeking legal recourse. One man has recently filed a medical malpractice case after he claims a doctor’s inaction led to his permanent disability.
In 2009, the plaintiff claimed that he began suffering from hand numbness and angina. He sought medical treatment from the defendant, and it was determined that the patient needed a heart catheterization and other procedures. The doctor allegedly stated if it were discovered that the man required stents, they would be placed when the other procedures were performed. However, the patient claims that although the doctor discovered the extra medical devices were needed, they were not implanted even though the patient had previously given consent.
The plaintiff claims that, just a few months later, he suffered a heart attack that sent him to the hospital. Stents were placed at that time, but doctors informed him that his heart had been significantly damaged and that he would be permanently disabled. The plaintiff claims that had the doctor placed the stents at the time of the original procedures, the heart attack and his subsequent disability could have been averted. He is asking for unspecified damages.
Patients have trust that the medical care providers will treat them according to their needs. The failure to do so could result in permanent disability, such as the man in this case, or death. For those in North Carolina who have been in a similar circumstance, filing a medical malpractice suit in a civil court is an option. By doing so, they could not only receive monetary damages for their medical bills, pain and suffering and other areas allowed by law but also prevent a similar outcome for future patients.
Source: The Louisiana Record, Medical malpractice claim filed by man who suffered heart attack, Kyle Barnett, Feb. 6, 2014