Ingrid Paulicivic, a San Clemente resident, is suing Dr. Red Allinsod for Laguna Beach medical malpractice. She is seeking unspecified damages for not just Orange County, California medical negligence but also for battery. Paulicivic is claiming Laguna Beach personal injury for burn injuries that she sustained while the gynecologist used an electrocautery device to brand her name on her uterus.
Allinsod took out Paulicivic's uterus during a hysterectomy. He says that although it wasn't required, he carved her name on the organ because he didn't want to mix it up with others. Allinsod has said that he "felt comfortable" branding Paulicivic's name on the uterus because he and the patient were good friends. However, the plaintiff's California injury attorney claims that his client did not know the doctor before consulting with him about the surgery.
In her Orange County, California medical malpractice complaint, Paulicivic contends that the decision to brand her name on the uterus was dangerous and unnecessary and performed without her consent. She claims that while Allinsod was branding the organ, which he had placed on her lap, he burned her in her thigh area. Allinsod has admitted that prior to Paulicivic, he had never branded another patient's organ or body part.
Paulicivic's husband Joe is also a plaintiff. He is seeking damages for loss of consortium, disruption of marital harmony, permanent injuries, and damages.
Doctors are not supposed to perform unnecessary medical procedures, which can result in injuries and health complications that could otherwise have been prevented. They are also supposed to obtain a patient's informed consent before conducting any medical procedure or course of treatment. Unauthorized medical treatments can be painful, costly, lead to infections, and even death. They also can be very traumatic for the patient and his/her loved ones.
Just recently, in another case of alleged negligence, a mother sued a hospital for circumcising her newborn without her consent. Circumcision is forbidden in Vera Delgado's family and she specifically told medical staff members that she didn't want the procedure performed on her son.
Doctor sued for 'branding' patient's uterus, CNN, September 14, 2010
Florida Hospital Circumcision Brings Lawsuit, News.Gather.com, September 13, 2010
Read the Complaint, The Smoking Gun
Related Web Resources:
What is a strong medical malpractice case, Lectlaw.com
Medical Malpractice, Wrong Diagnosis
