Surgery is a big deal, whether you are a healthy person or someone who is sick. Both a healthy and a sick patient were the subjects of a kidney transplant effort in an out-of-state medical case. A brother, 21, felt honored to be able to try to help his sister who suffers from renal disease. He agreed to donate his kidney to the 25-year-old, but hospital action thwarted the courageous plan.
The hospital removed the brother’s kidney but then did something unexpected with it. Somehow, the good kidney that was supposed to help save a life, was thrown away and tainted. Despite efforts to save the kidney, the mishandling of it meant that its recipient needed to find another way to improve her quality of life.
Following its apparent mistake, the hospital that botched the kidney transplant effort found a Plan B for the patient. That Plan B is working for the time being but, according to the family, isn’t as helpful to the patient’s health and future as her brother’s kidney would be.
As a result of the surgical error, the family is suing the hospital that threw the good kidney away. Sure, the hospital might have helped the family find another kidney, but that doesn’t take away from the family’s upset over the negligence they believe it took for someone to waste a perfectly good kidney that a young man bravely donated to help his sister.
Medical malpractice comes in various forms. Sometimes it is a surgical error. Other times it is a misdiagnosis, failed diagnosis or medication mistake. No matter what form it takes, someone who believes he is the victim of medical negligence should speak with a personal injury attorney who has experience with such types of cases.
Source: The Washington Post, “Ohio family speaks out about botched kidney transplant, says they first thought woman had died,” Aug. 31, 2013