Doctors Remove A Kidney From The Wrong Patient

One patient’s life was forever changed when doctors mistakenly informed them that they needed to have a kidney removed. Continue reading →

Feb 04, 2017 /prREACH/ -- Whenever someone receives the news that they have a serious health condition, one of the first things they do is discuss with their general practitioner who the best specialist they can seek a medical opinion from may be. Every patient wants to know that their doctor is the best because they are placing their absolute trust and life in this person’s hands.

Recently, one patient found out the hard way that doctors make mistakes - serious ones.

In July of 2016, the patient was informed by their general practitioner that a CT scan had revealed a tumor on one of their kidneys. Due to the location of the mass, their doctor recommended that they have the kidney removed so that a biopsy could be performed. They then referred them to a surgeon who scheduled the surgery.

The patient had the surgery and the kidney was sent off to the lab. But the biopsy results were shocking - there was no tumor. In fact, the kidney was perfectly healthy and never should have been removed.

Understandably, the patient wanted answers and so an investigation was launched. What they found was disturbing. The results of the CT scan had been mixed up with a different patient with a similar name. So not only had the wrong patient undergone surgery but the patient who actually did have a potentially life-threatening tumor had not been informed. If it is discovered that the tumor is malignant, this means that the cancer will only have had more time to spread to other vital organs.

This is just one example of the hundreds of cases of medical malpractice that occur in New York every year, leaving patients devastated physically, emotionally, and often financially. The most common mistakes involve surgical mistakes, anesthesia errors, birth injuries, cancer misdiagnosis, and prescription errors. In fact, New York tops the list of states with the most medical malpractice claim payouts and the number of lawsuits filed each year is only growing.