Somerville NJ Medical Malpractice Law Blog

When a patient tragically loses his or her life after an unsuccessful operation, the deceased's loved ones must struggle to go on living their day-to-day lives. And, of course, if doctors had their way, they would never lose a patient's life during surgery. Unfortunately, doctors are people, and just like everyone else they make mistakes. When those mistakes happen during surgery, however, the results can be devastating.

A new play, entitled "Love Alone," explores the various emotions prevalent during a medical malpractice claim. The writer, Deborah Salem Smith of the Trinity Repertory Company, Rhode Island, used personal experience with tragedy and numerous depositions from medical malpractice lawsuits as the foundation on which the play was structured.

Imagine going to the hospital during an emergency, knowing very well that something wasn't right. A surgeon schedules surgery, but then cancels it saying something has changed, and then goes out of town for the weekend as your condition deteriorates. A doctor error similar to that happened to one woman, and now she is living without most of her small intestine.

The doctor failed to diagnose that her body was not carrying fresh blood to and from her small intestine, causing most of her small intestine to die. Had the woman been diagnosed correctly and surgery performed earlier, more of her intestine may have been saved. Now the woman has been left unable to work, and a jury has awarded her $1.5 million for her injuries.

Fans of murder mysteries know that time is of the essence in solving the crime. If the detective can't start digging into the leads right away, the trail goes cold and a killer can go free. New Jersey attorneys with experience in medical malpractice know the same is true with diseases. An undiagnosed condition can lead to compounded health problems, injuries and even wrongful death of a loved one.

Doctors who specialize in the workings of the body's circulatory system have received a heads up about one particular disease that they should be watching for. It's called fibromuscular dysplasia. It's also known as renal artery stenosis, a condition in which the major arteries that supply blood to the kidneys narrow. But that moniker may be a little misleading.

The issue of reducing errors by hospital staff concerns many New Jersey residents, and rightly so. One topic that has been addressed in a recent media report is the idea of hospital staff napping on the job. While the lay person may think a napping doctor could lead to increased errors or hospital negligence, many studies seem to suggest the opposite is the case.

At face value, knowing your doctor has just woken up from a catnap after your arrival in the emergency room may be a scary thought. Many doctors argue, however, that these mid-shift catnaps are actually protective in nature. As such, napping may actually be the answer to reducing hospital errors. The reason? Overtired workers engaged in long shifts may be prone to more surgical errors, and napping could alleviate that burden.