California Injury Lawyers Blog

The man who helped Nadya Suleman conceive her 14 children is under investigation by the Medical Board of California for possible Los Angeles, California medical malpractice. Dr Michael Kamrava, a Beverly Hills physician, is accused of inserting too many embryos into one woman and neglected to provide the proper medical care to another patient.

According to the board, the fertility doctor transferred seven embryos to one patient, even though at her age, 48, only two embryos are medically recommended. The woman ended up carrying quadruplets. However, due to complications, she lost one fetus and her other babies had to be delivered early via C-section. One of her children has serious developmental delays. The board also says that the Los Angeles doctor neglected to refer the patient for a mental health assessment. Kamrava is being accused of straying from what is considered standard medical practice in his handling of the patient.

In an unrelated fertility case, the board is claiming that Kamrava failed to order more tests or refer a specialist to a patient even though ultrasound results showed cysts in her ovaries and she had a history of cancer. The woman did in fact have stage 3 ovarian cancer.

These incidents are not the first time Kamrava has been accused of Los Angeles medical malpractice. The board has accused Kamrava of serious negligence resulting in Suleman having 14 kids, including octuplets. She is now famously known as the "Octomom."

In 1994, one couple, Michael Verdi and Eva Menen, sued Kamrava for medical malpractice. They accused the doctor, who they went to for infertility treatment, of overmedicating Eva and inseminating her when she wasn't ovulating. They settled their civil lawsuit soon after. At least three other medical malpractice complaints have been filed against the Beverly Hill doctor since 1991.

Octuplet mom's doctor faces more state scrutiny, Los Angeles Times, July 14, 2010

The Fertility Doctor Behind the "Octomom," Time, March 7, 2009

Read the California Medical Board's 1st Amended Accusation (PDF)

Related Web Resources:
Medical Board of California

Michael M. Kamrava, West Coast IVF

Continue reading "Octomom's Beverly Hills Doctor Under Investigation for Los Angeles Medical Malpractice" »

Police have arrested Alejandra Viveros, 50, and Guadalupe Viveros, 53, on suspicion of Los Angeles medical malpractice. The two sisters are accused of practicing medicine without a license and running an illegal Sylmar cosmetic fillers business.

The Los Angeles Police Department began an investigation when alleged victims said they got sick after receiving filler injections. In certain instances, fillers turned into solid plastic and patients developed infections.

Guadalupe has said that she was a doctor in Mexico. However, she does not have a license to practice medicine in this country. Alejandra allegedly booked clients for her sister.

Cosmetic Surgery Malpractice
In a culture where there is a high premium placed on youth and beauty, it is not uncommon for people to undergo plastic surgery or other related procedures to enhance their looks. Cosmetic surgery and related procedures, like all medical procedures, must be conducted by people that are properly trained to do the job. Depending on the procedure and the medical mistake that was involved, Los Angeles cosmetic surgery errors can lead to health complications, including:

• Severe reactions to anesthesia
• Brain damage
• Heart attack
• Scarring
• Blood clots
• Excessive bleeding
• Infections
• Nerve damage
• Numbness
• Necrosis
• Internal bleeding
• Ptosis
• Emotional trauma
• Psychological trauma
• Disfigurement
• Death

In addition to experiencing pain and suffering, cosmetic mistakes can take a financial and emotional toll on a patient--especially if the injuries sustained are physically disfiguring and/or catastrophic.

Sisters Arrested for Practicing Medicine Without License, Fox News, June 23, 2010

Sylmar sisters booked on charges of running illegal cosmetic surgery operation, Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Medical Malpractice, Nolo

Bad Plastic Surgery, Marie Claire

Continue reading "Los Angeles Medical Malpractice?: Two Sisters Arrested on Suspicion of Running Illegal Sylmar Cosmetic Fillers Business" »

Michael Jackson's father Joseph Jackson is suing Dr. Conrad Murray for Los Angeles wrongful death. Also named as plaintiffs in the civil lawsuit are Michael's father Katherine Jackson and his three children Paris, Prince, and Blanket Jackson. More defendants may be added later.

In his Los Angeles wrongful death lawsuit, Joe Jackson accuses Murray, Michael's personal physician at the time, of administering to the pop star a "polypharmacy" of drugs in the months prior to the singer's death. He also claims that Murray withheld key information from EMTs and doctors that had tried to save his son's life.

Joe contends that not only did Murray fail to tell the medical workers that he had given Michael propofol, but also that the doctor had attempted to "clean up the scene" before the EMTs arrived. Even though California law mandates that doctors document the medical care provided to a patient, Murray is accused of not keeping records on the singer.

Michael, known as the King of Pop, died on June 25, 2009 at the age of 50 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his Holmby Hills residence. According to his autopsy report, the pop star died from "acute propofol intoxication." The report also noted that "the standard care for administering this drug was not met" and that the equipment recommended for patient monitoring, resuscitation, and precision dosing" were not present.

Earlier this year, Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter in Michael's death. Prosecutors have accused Murray of administering a deadly cocktail of anesthetics and painkillers to Michael in the hours leading up to his death. Murray has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, Murray faces a maximum four years in prison.

Wrongful Death as a Result of Medical Malpractice
Medical mistakes can prove fatal for a patient. Doctors and other medical providers can be held liable for Los Angeles medical malpractice if their carelessness, recklessness, or failure to at least provide a patient with the standard of care contributed to a patient's Los Angeles personal injuries or wrongful death.

Joe Jackson's Wrongful Death Lawsuit, TMZ, June 25, 2010

Michael Jackson's father files wrongful death suit, AP/Google, June 25, 2010

Michael Jackson's Doctor, Conrad Murray, Charged in Singer's Death, ABC News, February 8, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Michael Jackson dead at 50 after cardiac arrest, CNN, June 25, 2009

Michael Jackson Biography, Biography

The California Department of Public Health has fined Mission Hospital $50,000 for giving morphine to a newborn. The medication was intended for the infant's mother.

The medication mix-up happened on April 2009. A nurse accidentally injected the morphine into the baby's IV instead of his mother's IV. Luckily, the Orange County, California medication mistake was detected in time and the baby has made a full recovery.

Mission has submitted a correction plan that prohibits the hospital from administering medications to mothers in the neonatal intensive unit. In this case, the mom had just given birth to triplets and she was in the NICU for "skin-to-skin" bonding with the baby who was accidentally given the morphine dose.

According to an article published in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy in 2008, neonatal medication-dispensing errors have been known to occur. That year, there were five cases involving medication-dispensing mistakes that took place at the same institution. Three of the five errors involved near misses that could have resulted in harm. Four of the five incidents involved mix-ups between neonatal and pediatric or adult products.

The mistakes reflected weaknesses in the system set in place for neonatal medication labeling, storage, knowledge, delivery, and administration documentation. Solutions to the problems included reorganizing medication shelves, setting up a color labeling scheme, and changes to vaccine storage, ordering, dispensing, and documentation systems.

Examples of reasons why medication errors might occur at a hospital:

• Exhausted staff members, inadequate staff training
• A worker who is in a hurry and forgets to double-check that the correct medication (and the right dosage) is being administered
• Lack of proper medication administering system that includes adequate safety measures

According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in 2006, nearly 1.5 million people a year are injured because of medication mistakes. About 400,000 of these preventable medication errors took place in hospitals.

If you or someone you love was injured because of a medication mistake, you may be able to file an Orange County, California medical malpractice lawsuit against the negligent medical center, worker, or other liable parties.

Mission Hospital fined after newborn gets morphine, OC Register, May 20, 2010

Medication Mistakes Can Be Deadly But Preventable, OneMedSentinel

Medication Errors Injure 1.5 Million People and Cost Billions of Dollars Annually;
Report Offers Comprehensive Strategies for Reducing Drug-Related Mistakes, Office of News and Public Information, July 20, 2006

Related Web Resource:
Medical Malpractice: When can patients sue a hospital for negligence?, Nolo

The World Health Organization says that there are more woman in the United States dying after giving birth than in 40 other countries. Maternal mortality, also called "obstetrical death," involves a new mother dying within 42 days of giving birth. In 2005, 11 out of 100,000 pregnancies in the US resulted in maternal mortality.

According to a new report commissioned by the California Department of Health, the number of woman that have died from maternal mortality in the state in the last 10 years has nearly tripled from 5.6 fatalities/100,000 births to 16.9/100,000 births in 2006.

Blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, underlying cardiac disease, and hemorrhage are some common causes of maternal mortality. Failure to make sure that all pregnant women, especially those who are poor or uninsured, get the proper medical care is another cause of obstetrical death.

Although maternal mortality is still not considered common, Joint Commission president Mark Chasin says that up to 50% of these deaths could have been prevented. A report by Amnesty International called "Deadly Delivery" says that one in four women in the US don't receive antenatal check-ups, which can determine whether a woman is suffering from birthing complications or other health issues.

A mother might die after childbirth because her medical provider failed to notice important warning signs. In the event that this happens, surviving family members may have grounds for an Orange County, California medical malpractice lawsuit.

The Centers for Disease Control says that obesity, asthma, diabetes, and other health issues can sometimes lead to complications with pregnancy. Public health experts also say that the rise in C-section births--according to the CDC, 31% of moms opt to undergo this procedure--may be contributing to maternal mortality.

If your child or his/her mother died from pregnancy or delivery complications or because the doctor was negligent in providing the proper care, you may have grounds for filing a Orange County, California wrongful death lawsuit.

Having a baby should be a time of joy, not of sorrow. There is no greater loss for a parent than losing a child. For a newborn to lose his/her mother is devastating.

Amnesty report condemns US death rates of women in childbirth, Guardian.co.UK, March 12, 2010

Maternal Mortality Rates Rising in California, Preventing Maternal Mortality, ABC News, March 4, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Maternal Health in the US, Amnesty International USA (PDF)

Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization

Continue reading "Orange County, California Medical Malpractice?: As Maternal Mortality Rates Go up in California, Study Reveals Most of the Deaths Could Have Been Prevented" »

A Pomona Superior Court has awarded the family of Jessica Ramirez a $12 million Los Angeles County medical malpractice verdict in their case against Greater El Monte Community Hospital. Ramirez, 22, has a traumatic brain injury that has left her in a persistent vegetative state. She now resides in a North Hollywood nursing home and requires round-the-clock care.

On September 4, 2007, Ramirez sustained an air-rifle pellet to the brain. However, following the air gun shooting, she was still conscious and could ask for help.

Her family contends that after seeking medical help at Greater El Monte Community Hospital, Ramirez was allowed to remain at the facility before she was flown to a Pasadena hospital for surgery to remove the pellet. According to the family's Los Angeles medical malpractice lawyer, Greater El Monte Community Hospital were delayed in both evaluating her condition and transferring her to Huntington hospital after x-ray results showed that the pellet had entered her brain. He claims that the medical delays caused Ramirez to sustain a traumatic brain injury and she may have had a better medical outcome if only surgery was performed sooner.

The defendant in the Los Angeles medical malpractice lawsuit is hospital owner AHMC Healthcare, Inc. The award consists of $10.6 million for future medical care, $1 million for pain and suffering, and $373,000 for past medical bills. Ramirez's mom says the award will allow her to bring her daughter home.

The verdict is being appealed.

Los Angeles Medical Malpractice
It is so important that medical professionals conduct their exams, make the correct diagnosis, and perform the proper procedure in a timely manner. In many cases, sooner rather than later can make the difference between life and death and between non-aggressive treatment and painful, invasive, lengthy treatments. Doctors, surgeons, emergency room workers, paramedics, anesthesiologists, and other medical professionals cannot afford to make mistakes. Otherwise, they can be sued for Orange County, California medical malpractice.

Jury finds El Monte hospital negligent, family awarded $12 million, SGVTribune.com, February 11, 2010

Jury awards $12 million to woman with brain injury, WTOP, February 12, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Greater El Monte Community Hospital

Traumatic Brain Injury

More than six years after Trent Hughes sustained a spinal cord injury in an accident that left him a paraplegic, a Riverside County jury has awarded a $16.5 million California medical malpractice verdict to him and his wife Lisa in their personal injury case against neurosurgeon Christopher Pham.

Trent, who at the time was 41, began experiencing numbness in his toes and feet, as well as excruciating pain in his lower back while on an off-road vehicle excursion on November 2, 2003. He was flown to a Palm Springs, California where, at about 2pm, he was diagnosed with a spine fracture.

Hospital records indicate that Pham, who was on call, was supposed to arrive at the Emergency Room within 20 minutes after he was contacted to assess the extent of Trent's injuries. However, he didn't see the patient until the following afternoon. Also, Pham did not perform the surgery to decompress Trent's spinal cord until the day after that one.

The couple's Riverside County medical malpractice lawsuit contends that by the time Pham conducted the surgery, Trent's spinal cord injury had become irreversible and, as a result, he is now paralyzed.

Before the accident, the Hughes, who are former high school sweethearts, ran a successful air conditioning business. Following Trent's catastrophic injuries, they lost their business.

The jury's verdict against Pham comes after a re-trial. A verdict issued by a jury after the case was tried in January 2004 was overturned because of defense counsel misconduct during their closing. The couple has already settled their medical malpractice claim against Desert Regional Medical Center.

The $16.5 million Riverside County medical malpractice verdict includes damages for medical expenses, rehabilitative costs, loss of consortium, pain and suffering, and lost income.

Surgical Errors
Surgical mistakes, delayed surgeries, wrong site surgeries, and accidentally leaving a medical instrument or another object in the patient following surgery are surgical errors that can be grounds for California medical malpractice. These are not errors that can be fixed easily. In some cases, medical mistakes can prove catastrophic for the patient.

Riverside jury awards Arizona couple $16.5 million in medical malpractice suit, Los Angeles Times, February 3, 2010

Former valley doctor found negligent, Mydesert.com, February 2, 2010

The California Department of Health has fined 13 hospitals in the state for committing medical mistakes. Some of the medical errors caused serious patient injury and deaths. Among the Southern California hospitals that were fined:

Hoag Memorial Hospital: A patient at this Newport Beach hospital sustained fractures to her foot and leg in January 2009 when she was sucked in by an MRI machine while on a metal gurney. The fine for this error is $50,000. This is the third penalty against the hospital in two years.

Western Medical Center: This Santa Ana hospital was fined $50,000 for leaving a surgical sponge in a patient. She became ill and had to be operated on a second time.

St. Jude Medical Center: A patient at this Fullerton hospital died in the emergency room from a heart attack after nurses failed to realize that the heart monitor had become disconnected. The Orange County, California hospital was fined $50,000.

Los Angeles Community Hospital: A patient who should have been properly supervised and restrained died after he was left alone and he pulled out his tracheotomy tube. The Norwalk hospital was fined $50,000.

California Hospital Medical Center: This Los Angeles County hospital was fined $50,000 because a medical resident n the ER wrongly diagnosed a woman as having an ectopic pregnancy. She was not pregnant.

John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital: The Riverside County hospital was ordered to pay four $25,000 fines for not properly monitoring patients and meds in 2008.

California Medical Malpractice
Medical mistakes are not errors that doctors, nurses, surgeons, anesthesiologists, emergency room physicians, or other medical professionals can afford to make. Wrong diagnosis, surgical mistakes, failure to properly supervise a patient or monitor his/her vitals are some of the reasons that people file Orange County, California medical malpractice lawsuit.

13 California hospitals fined for medical errors, Los Angeles Times, January 28, 2010

California Department of Health

Related Web Resources:
Medical Malpractice, Nolo

Types of Medical Mistakes, Wrong Diagnosis

Continue reading "California Fines 13 Hospitals for Medical Mistakes" »

Anaheim obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Andrew Rutland could be facing temporary suspension from practicing medicine. Rutland allegedly was negligent when he administered an unsafe dosage of lidocaine to a 30-year-old woman who was about to undergo a second-trimester abortion. Soon after the patient was injected with the local anesthesia, she began to experience a reaction.

Rutland performed CPR on her. According to California Medical Board documents, there was a "significant" delay in contacting 911. By the time paramedics arrived, the woman was in cardiac arrest. She died several days later.

According to autopsy results, the patient died from a heart attack caused by "lidocaine toxicity." The medical board claims Rutland did not know what a safe dosage of the anesthesia consisted of when he gave her the drug. He also allegedly did not recognize the symptoms of toxicity and failed to employ the correct resuscitation efforts.

The Anaheim doctor is also accused of not having malpractice insurance when he performed a surgery outside a hospital and practicing medicine in an office that did not have the proper licensing. This is not the first time that Dr. Rutland has been accused of California medical negligence. He gave up his medical license in 2002 following two infant deaths (one baby's spinal cord was torn during birth due to forceps use), and allegations that he lied to patients, had sex with one patient, and performed unnecessary hysterectomies.

Examples of OB/GYN Malpractice:

• Poor prenatal care
• Failure to conduct breast exams, annuals, or mammograms
• Failure to diagnose, wrong diagnosis, or delayed diagnosis of cancer
• Failure to diagnose birth defects or delivery complications
• Failure to perform necessary follow-up tests, such as a biopsy
• Birthing malpractice
• Surgical errors
• Forcep mistakes
• Anesthesia errors

Doc lost license once, accused of another death, OC Register, January 6, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Medical Board of California

Obstetrics and Medical Malpractice, Wrong Diagnosis

Continue reading "California OB/GYN Medical Malpractice?: Anaheim Doctor Blamed for Death of Abortion Patient" »

Two new studies are reporting that tens of thousands of people might get cancer in the future because they were exposed to radiation when they underwent CT scans. The findings from both studies can be found in the latest edition of the Archives of Internal Medicine. This is disturbing news, considering that more people are opting to undergo this type of imaging technology, once touted as painless, safe, and able to detect diseases. In 2007, 70 million CT scans were performed.

According to one study, led by University of San Francisco researchers, 1 out of 600 men and 1 out of 270 women who undergo CT coronary angiographies when they are 40 will end up getting cancer. For patients who undergo head CT scans at the same age, one out of 11,080 men and one out of 8,100 women will suffer from cancer as a result.

The findings come from an analysis of 1,119 patients who were given 11 of the most common kinds of examinations at four facilities in California's Bay Area last year. The amount of radiation given to patients varied.

The second study, which was conducted by National Cancer Institute researchers, estimates that about 29,000 future cancers will be linked to CT scans that were performed in this country two years ago: 2,700 cases will come from CT angiographies, 4,100 cancers from chest exams, 4,000 cancer cases from head scans, and 14,000 cancers from pelvis and abdominal CT scans.

These findings will undoubtedly cause additional worry to the over 200 patients who sued Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for Los Angeles medical malpractice after it became known that patients had been exposed to high radiation levels during CT brain perfusion scans. Over 18 months, the patients were exposed to eight times more than the usual dose of radiation that is recommended for this type of noninvasive procedure.

CT brain perfusion scans are performed about 150,000 times annually in this country.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it was investigating whether patients treated at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, another Los Angeles County hospital, received CT scan-related radiation overdoses In November, officials from Glendale Adventist Medical Center, also in Los Angeles County, announced that 10 patients also received radiation overdoses when they had their CT scans. The CT scanners used in the three California hospitals to perform the procedures were made by General Electric or Toshiba.

If a CT scan is a cause of someone's cancer, the patient may have grounds for filing an Orange County, California medical malpractice complaint against the medical professional or facility that recommended the procedure. A CT manufacturer could also be held liable for designing dangerous medical device that causes cancer.

Cancer Risks and Radiation Exposure From Computed Tomographic Scans, Archives of Internal Medicine

New Focus on Dangers of CT Scans, CBS News, December 14, 2009

3rd L.A.-area hospital in radiation overdose probe, Los Angeles Times, December 8, 2009

Radiation overdoses found at second hospital, Los Angeles Times, November 21, 2009

Related Web Resource:
CT Brain Perfusion Scans Safety Investigation: Initial Notification, FDA

Continue reading "CT Scans Can Increase Cancer Risk, Says Two New Studies" »

Hospital beds are used in Orange County, California hospitals, outpatient facilities, nursing homes, as well as in many private home care situations. According to the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, some 2.5 million hospital beds are used in this country. A hospital bed is one that meets certain requirements that make it a medical device.

The Food and Drug Administration is now reporting that between 1985 - 2009, there have been at least 803 reported incidents in the US of patients getting entangled, caught, trapped, or strangled in these beds. These injury accidents have resulted in 138 injuries and 480 deaths. In 185 incidents, hospital workers were able to prevent patient injuries. The majority of patients involved in hospital bed accidents are older people and/or those who are frail or confused.

According to FDA nurse-consultant Joan Ferlo, hospitals should check the hospital's beds to make sure they don't pose an injury hazard. The mattress any grab bar or rail that comes with the bed should be examined to make sure that they aren't entrapment hazard. Possible entrapment zones involving hospital beds:

• Between the mattress and rail
• Beneath the rail
• Between split bed rails
• Between the foot or headboard and a rail end
• Between the mattress end and the foot or headboard

Hospital beds can also present a possible fire hazard if there is damage to the bed's power cord, the bed's motor overheat, there is an electrical short, clothing or sheets are placed too close to power sources, or dust clogs up the motor. The patient can sustain serious and painful burn injuries as a result.

Product manufacturers must make sure that their products are designed in a way that won't cause injury or death to consumers. Failure to fulfill this responsibility can lead to a California products liability or wrongful death lawsuit. Hospitals, nursing homes, and other facilities must make sure there are no hazardous conditions on the property that can cause injury or death. Otherwise, they can be held liable for California medical malpractice, premises liability, or wrongful death claims.

Practice Hospital Bed Safety, FDA

Related Web Resources:
Untie the Elderly

Hospitals in California, Yellow Pages

Continue reading "California Personal Injury: Are Hospital Beds an Entrapment Hazard? " »

In Los Angeles County, Cedars Sinai officials have announced that over 200 patients who underwent CT brain perfusion scans to diagnose strokes were exposed to very high doses of radiation. Over an 18-month period, 206 patients were given eight times the dose that is usually administered during this procedure.

Approximately 40% of the patients who were given the radiation overdoses lost patches of hair. Fortunately, the hair loss seems to be temporary.

Using radiation during a CT scan lets doctors obtain more detailed information. However, excessively high doses can result in radiation poisoning and even cancer. If you believe that you were exposed to high levels of radiation that made you ill, an experienced Los Angeles County medical malpractice lawyer can help you consider your legal options.

The radiation overdoses appear to have been caused by a computer-resetting mistake on the part of the hospital. A "misunderstanding about an embedded default setting" led to "higher than expected" radiation, reported Cedar Sinai officials.

The hospital, which had stopped the scans while it figured out what was causing patient hair loss, has restarted the procedures. Double checks and additional protocols have been instituted to make sure no radiation overdoses happen again.

The Food and Drug Administration is calling on radiologists, CT facilities, emergency physicians, neurosurgeons, neurologists, medical physicists, radiologic technologists, and radiation safety officers to check their own protocols for conducting CT scans to make sure this problem isn't happening elsewhere.

Cedars Sinai has recently come under fire for a number of high profile Los Angeles medical malpractice mistakes. Just last August, a jury awarded $7.3 million to the family of 5-year-old Paris Campen who sustained brain damage because the hospital failed to diagnose and treat him for meningitis.

Last December, movie star Dennis Quaid and his wife reached a $750,000 California medical malpractice settlement agreement with Cedars Sinai over their newborn twins' heparin overdose. In June, the twins settled their medical medical malpractice lawsuit involving injuries to minors against Cedars Sinai for $250,000 each.

Related Web Resources:
Safety Investigation of CT Brain Perfusion Scans: Initial Notification, FDA, October 8, 2009

Cedars-Sinai says error led to radiation overdoses on stroke patients [Updated], Los Angeles Times, October 12, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Cedars Sinai

US Food and Drug Administration

The California Medical Board says that Dr. Gary Rheinschild might be disciplined by the state over allegations that he botched a number of penis enlargement surgeries. The 75-year-old urologist is accused of gross negligence in the medical treatment he provided to three men. Dr. Gary Rheinschild is also accused of practicing medicine even though he may have been suffering from cognitive impairment.

The Anaheim Hills doctor's attorney is disputing the allegations and insists that her client satisfied the standard of care with all three clients. Failure to provide standard of care can be grounds for an Anaheim Hills, California medical malpractice lawsuit.

However, several national news publications are reporting that the Orange County, California urologist performed penile enhancement or reconstruction surgeries that have gone awry. The doctor's Web site says that surgery can give a patient up to two inches more in girth and length. According to the California Medical Board, the American Urological Association cannot verify that penile enhancement surgeries work or are effective.

One patient, who went to Rheinschild for surgery in 2003, says that the doctor seemed confused. He says that the operation made his penis deformed and crooked, but the urologist refused to fix his work. Another patient, age 25, says that the doctor's hand shook and he appeared to suffer from memory problems. Five weeks after surgery, the patient's penis started curving and became shorter, while a wound burst open. He too says the doctor refused to remedy the mistake. The man then underwent two reconstructive procedures.

The California Medical Board is considering whether to revoke Rheinschild's medical license. Rheinschild could be held liable for Orange County, California medical malpractice.

Elsewhere in the US, a man who lost his penis after surgery is suing his doctor for medical malpractice. Enrique Milla underwent a procedure in 2007 for his erectile dysfunction. He says that Dr. Paul Perito failed to tell him that his diabetes could put him at greater risk of infection. Milla went on to contract gangrene and doctors had to remove his penis.

Orange County, California urological malpractice is a type of medical malpractice that can result due to negligence, carelessness, or mistakes. Urologists treat diseases involving the urinary and genital tracts.

Doctor accused of botched penis enlargements, OC Register, September 18, 2009

Man Sues Doctor Over Loss Of Penis, My State Line, September 4, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Renal and Urology News

American Urological Association

According to a federal inspection report, five patients at UCI Medical Center were given overdoses of sedatives and narcotics because the nurses did not receive the proper training on how to correctly use the pain pumps. The overdoses took place between October and July.

The five patients had to be given reversal medications so that they could keep breathing. One patient was given a breathing tube and was taken to the ICU. Another patient was given an overdose of a tranquilizer because the nurse programmed the pump to give her the wrong medication. A sixth overdose happened while inspectors were there. Fortunately, none of the patients who were given overdoses died.

Chief medical officer at UCI Medical Center Dr. Eugene Spiritus said that after two of the overdoses, more training and safety precautions were implemented. Yet more overdoses occurred.

According to the nurse's union, UCI was using defective pain medication pumps, while the hospital said that the overdoses were a result of nursing mistakes.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services agrees that nursing errors did occur and that the nurses were not trained to use the pumps correctly. Last July, regulators announced an immediate jeopardy finding that was removed within 24 hours when the hospital started training nurses. UCI has also bought new pump technology.

Medication Mistakes
Medication overdose is one kind of medical error that can cause injury to a patient. It can also lead to an Orange County, California medical malpractice lawsuit. Other types of medication errors that can result in injury or death:

• Prescribing the wrong drug
• Prescribing the correct drug but the wrong dose
• Prescribing a drug that causes an adverse reaction when combined with other medications that the patient is taking
• Failure to let patients know about the risks associated with the drug
• Failure to tell patients about possible side effects
• Failure to monitor patient intake
• Prescribing a dangerous drug to a patient

UCI overdoses blamed on lack of nurse training, OC Register, September 17, 2009

UC Irvine Medical Center issued warning for drug pump problems, Los Angeles Times, September 17, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Medication Errors Injure 1.5 Million People and Cost Billions of Dollars Annually, National Academies, July 20, 2006

Hospital Errors Put More Patients at Risk, ABC News, April 4, 2007

Continue reading "Irvine, California Medical Malpractice?: Report Says UCI Patients Overdosed Because Nurses were Inadequately Trained" »

A 72-year-old retired worker is suing Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center for Riverside, California medical malpractice. Francisco Torres says that Dr. Erik Wahlstrom removed the right, healthy kidney, instead of the left one. Now, Torres has to undergo dialysis every three days. Torres had expected a full recovery following the July 14 procedure, but he is still at Riverside rehabilitation center and will no longer be able to live alone.

In Torres's Riverside County, California medical malpractice complaint, he is seeking damages for injuries he sustained from the wrong-site surgery. Torres is accusing the surgeon and the hospital of battery, malpractice, and failing to disclose Wahlstrom's record with the Medical Board of California.

Doctors were supposed to operate on his left kidney after a cancerous mass was discovered. Torres's medical chart initially noted that the left kidney is the one that doctors had to take out. A day prior to the procedure, however, the surgeon and a nurse made a notation in Torres's chart that his right kidney was the one that needed to be surgically removed.

This is not the first complaint filed against Wahlstrom, who founded Riverside Community Hospital's Southern California Transplantation Institute. Earlier this year, the surgeon settled a San Bernardino, California medical malpractice lawsuit in arbitration for nearly $2 million over another kidney procedure. The transplant surgery took place in 2005 and an infection occurred. As a result, the patient's body rejected the new kidney, which had to be removed.

Wrong Site Surgeries
Wrong-site procedures are never supposed to happen, yet as of June, The Joint Commission has reported 837 wrong-site surgeries. Hospitals are supposed to put procedures in place to prevent surgeons from operating on the wrong body part and/or removing the wrong organ. In many cases, the damage done from this type of botched procedure cannot be easily fixed. For example, once you take out a kidney, you cannot put it back in the patient's body. Removing the wrong breast can leave the patient disfigured or cause a cancerous mass on the unhealthy breast to spread.

The injuries and health issues that arise from a wrong-site can permanently disable the patient and even result in wrongful death.

Surgery patient sues doctor, hospital, claiming wrong kidney removed, Press-Enterprise, September 2, 2009

Man Claims Hospital Removed Wrong Kidney, KTLA, September 4, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Universal Protocol for Preventing Wrong Site Surgery, Joint Commission

Difference Between Near Miss, Wrong-Site Surgery Studied, Modern Medicine, August 17, 2009