Family members can often be as apprehensive as the patient when a loved one must undergo surgery. They may worry that something could go wrong or that their loved one could become the victim of fatal medical malpractice. Ohio residents may be interested in a situation in another state in which a woman recently filed a claim due to the death of her husband.
It was reported that the man had undergone surgery on his prostate, and then approximately a month later, the man noticed blood when he urinated. He informed his doctor of the problem, and the doctor advised him to go to the emergency room. He was admitted to the hospital. The man was apparently scheduled for another surgical procedure two days later, but on the day of the procedure, he suffered a pulmonary embolism and died as a result.
A pulmonary embolism can take place when a blood clot forms and moves to the lungs. The hospital apparently informed the doctor that the patient was at risk for blood clotting, but, per the complaint, the doctor did not take precautions to prevent a clot from forming. As a result, the patient’s wife believed the doctor’s inaction directly contributed to her husband’s death. She filed a medical malpractice claim against the doctor for wrongful death, and her case was successful.
When patients go to the hospital for treatment, they and their family members often expect for the patients to get better. Unfortunately, as this case shows, patients could become victims of fatal medical malpractice, and family members can be left grieving the loss of their loved ones. If Ohio residents believe that their family members died as a result of such malpractice, they may wish to find out more information on filing legal claims in order to seek compensation.
Source: bnd.com, “Jefferson County jury awards $3.7 million in medical-malpractice case“, Beth Hundsdorfer, Oct. 2, 2015