Doctor Operates On Wrong Patient
June 3, 2001
The Florida Board of Medicine recently disciplined a prominent surgeon in a well-respected Tampa hospital after he accidentally removed a woman's breast. The doctor, whose name is being withheld, is the head of the breast clinic at Moffitt Cancer Center. According to the Florida Board of medicine, this is the doctor's first disciplinary incident in his long and distinguished career.
The accident occurred as the doctor was nearing completion of a grueling day of surgery. He had two surgeries yet to perform, one on a woman needing her breast removed (mastectomy) and another on a women who was only to have a lump removed from one of her breasts (lumpectomy). Apparently, in the confusion of the busy hospital, the doctor mistakenly switched the patients, completely removing the breast of the woman who was to receive the lumpectomy.
An internal hospital investigation placed blame on several people, including nurses and assistants. However, the hospital maintains, and medical experts agree, that in the end, the responsibility falls upon the operating doctor.
The accident illustrates that even the best and the brightest can make serious medical mistakes. The Moffitt Cancer Center is Florida's only cancer center to receive the National Cancer Institute's designation. In addition, the doctor at issue is experienced in breast procedures, having performed nearly 3,000 over the last 18 years.
According to the Florida Board of Medicine, so-called "wrong-site surgeries" are occurring with alarming frequency. As such, the Board has begun a crack down on doctors who make the mistakes. For instance, in 1999 only eight Florida doctors were disciplined for performing wrong-site procedures, while in 2000, twenty such cases were heard.
According to sources close to the current investigation, the doctor is likely to be fined $5,000 and receive a reprimand from the Board. The Moffitt Cancer Center reached a settlement with the woman for an undisclosed amount.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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