Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers

Battle Post-op Pain Without Opioids - April 2016 - Outpatient Surgery Magazine

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

Issue link: http://outpatientsurgery.uberflip.com/i/662635

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 40 of 122

A P R I L 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 4 1 U sually when a patient receives a defective medication or medical device dur- ing a procedure, the facility and provider are sued for medical malpractice, while the manufacturer or ven- dor typically faces a harsher product liabili- ty claim. But a new ruling out of Connecticut suggests that facilities that charge patients for various medications, implants and devices could be on the hook for additional pricey litigation should the product fail. Contaminated meds In this case, a patient underwent a spinal procedure at a Connecticut hospital. During the surgery, the hospital injected the patient with pre- servative-free betamethasone, which they had purchased from the New England Compounding Center, the compounding facility at the center of the 2012 meningitis outbreak that sickened more than 800 individuals and resulted in the deaths of 64. The medication was con- taminated. After receiving the tainted injection, the patient suffered from sever- al unnamed complications. The patient then sued the hospital for both How to Avoid Product Liability Lawsuits Your facility may be on the hook for defective drugs and devices. Medical Malpractice Alex Stein, PhD, JD • TAINTED DRUGS A recent court ruling could mean more costly lawsuits for facilities that give patients faulty medications or defective medical devices.

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers - Battle Post-op Pain Without Opioids - April 2016 - Outpatient Surgery Magazine