Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Patient Experience - June 2019 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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2 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 1 9 T he most com- mon surgical malpractice claim is operative neg- ligence, which arises when a plaintiff alleges that a surgeon deviated from the standard of care dur- ing technical elements of the procedure. Of course, negligence can also occur before or after a case, but rarely do we see 3-tiered mal- practice claims in which a patient suffers acts of negligence during the pre-op, operative and post-op phases. Sadly, multiple acts of negligence do occur. Just ask Matthew Standley, winner of a nearly $12 million verdict and loser of his leg to devastating infectious complications that necessitated amputation. In April, a Florida jury returned an $11,882,175 plaintiff verdict against Broward County orthopedic surgeon Melvyn Rech, DO. The lawsuit stemmed from complications of an elective total knee arthro- plasty (TKA) that Dr. Rech performed on Mr. Standley, who had undergone 14 prior knee surgeries and had experienced osteomyelitis on at least one occasion. Following the surgery performed, Mr. Standley's left leg became so infected that amputation was the only recourse. Mr. Standley's lawsuit claimed that Dr. Rech breached the standard of care at every step along the way: Negligence Before, During and After Surgery A knee replacement patient suffered multiple acts of malpractice. Medical Malpractice Jerene Stremick, BSN, RN, LNC • ULTIMATE NEGLIGENCE The surgeon's ignorance of the patient's contraindica- tions and infection risks led to an amputation — and a resounding verdict.

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