Medical Malpractice?

[Gravity]

So, I go to the ER to get a fish hook removed from one of my fingers. I tell the doc in the process that I got a small, pea sized lump on a different finger and can he cut that out too. He says no, but he'll refer me to a hand specialist.

So, I see the specialist and say "ok, let's take this out right here."

He says, no, we'll have to go to a surgery center, never know what you might run into.

so, I expected a local block, which they did, but upon arrival, learned they were gonna put me to sleep! I figured they know what they are doing but heck, I was skeert!

So, they put me to sleep, I get 11 stitches in my finger and I wake up an hour later.

Apparently, in Louisiana, they have a rep for unnecessary surgery but I just moved here. I guess I was exposed to an unnecessary threat from the anisthesia.

A friend who seems to know medicine (worked in the OR for 20 years as a nurse) says I should sue them for wrekless endangerment.

Your opinions?

 

[KLin]

You may want to make sure you still have both your kidneys

 

[Drakkon]

do you have the thing out of your finger?
do you feel okay?
did you not have to pay anything extra?

if you answered no to any of these questions then...who cares?

did you get to keep the "lump"?

 

[Gravity]

lol, ya, everything still works. I'm happy with the surgery, it's the fact that they put me under without real cause.

Also, it cost $3600 to take a pea sized mass from my finger and put in 11 stitches. Sound right to you?

 

[Gravity]

Originally posted by: Drakkon
do you have the thing out of your finger?
do you feel okay?
did you not have to pay anything extra?

if you answered no to any of these questions then...who cares?

did you get to keep the "lump"?

No, no lump. They sent it to the lab.

 

[kermalou]

are you alive and breathing?

if so, be grateful.

 

[KLin]

Originally posted by: Gravity
lol, ya, everything still works. I'm happy with the surgery, it's the fact that they put me under without real cause.

Also, it cost $3600 to take a pea sized mass from my finger and put in 11 stitches. Sound right to you?

3600 bucks? :shocked: I would have cut the barb off the hook, and taken it out myself!

 

[Gravity]

Originally posted by: KLin

Originally posted by: Gravity
lol, ya, everything still works. I'm happy with the surgery, it's the fact that they put me under without real cause.

Also, it cost $3600 to take a pea sized mass from my finger and put in 11 stitches. Sound right to you?

3600 bucks? :shocked: I would have cut the barb off the hook, and taken it out myself!

Not for the fish hook, that was only $300. The pea sized lump on a different digit was the four figure amount.

 

[gotensan01]

Originally posted by: KLin

Originally posted by: Gravity
lol, ya, everything still works. I'm happy with the surgery, it's the fact that they put me under without real cause.

Also, it cost $3600 to take a pea sized mass from my finger and put in 11 stitches. Sound right to you?

3600 bucks? :shocked: I would have cut the barb off the hook, and taken it out myself!

Anisthesia was probably the bulk of the cost. For Wisdom teeth, gettin anisthesia was around $1000 I think.

 

[imported_Bishop]

Hmm...so you are perfectly fine, yet your friend wants you to sue? And people wonder why medical costs skyrocket. I would expect local to be enough for a lump on your finger, but neither I nor your friend knows why general was used. There may be a perfectly good reason, there may not be a good reason. Either way, the lump is out, you are fine...why sue again?

 

[Drakkon]

Originally posted by: Gravity
lol, ya, everything still works. I'm happy with the surgery, it's the fact that they put me under without real cause.

Also, it cost $3600 to take a pea sized mass from my finger and put in 11 stitches. Sound right to you?

yeah that sounds about right...although i think for a local anesthetic it would have been about $1K less...

 

[torpid]

I doubt you have much of a case...

 

[Armitage]

So what exactly is the harm done to you that you want to sue for? If you had concerns about the anathesia used, you should have brought it up with the anethesiologist at the time. This strikes me as an opportunistic "can I make a buck off of this" post :disgust:

 

[KLin]

Originally posted by: Gravity

Originally posted by: KLin

Originally posted by: Gravity
lol, ya, everything still works. I'm happy with the surgery, it's the fact that they put me under without real cause.

Also, it cost $3600 to take a pea sized mass from my finger and put in 11 stitches. Sound right to you?

3600 bucks? :shocked: I would have cut the barb off the hook, and taken it out myself!

Not for the fish hook, that was only $300. The pea sized lump on a different digit was the four figure amount.

ahh ok, read that wrong . I bet part of that 3600 bucks is for the lab analysis.

 

[Gravity]

They also used a Bier block as a local. It was neat and I was numb. Then they gave me the other shot and I was ZZzzZZzz....for quite a while.

Anisthesia is cumulative and can reside in your liver for days/weeks. If I needed to be anestitized again due to injury, it could have been ineffective or fatal.

That's the danger of the general PLUS the local vs. the local alone.

 

[Gravity]

Originally posted by: Armitage
So what exactly is the harm done to you that you want to sue for? If you had concerns about the anathesia used, you should have brought it up with the anethesiologist at the time. This strikes me as an opportunistic "can I make a buck off of this" post :disgust:

Nah, I'm not interested in making a buck. Just wondered if I you thought I was needlessly put in harms way. Perhaps they saw my insurance would pay 100% and went for the full monty.

 

[Yo Ma Ma]

You made your complaint at the ER, was referred to a specialist, the specialist applied their knowledge and expertise and took care of your problem.

I think you'd have a heck of a time proving reckless endangerment.

 

[SuperTool]

Did you consent to the surgery after getting two Dr. opinions? Did the surgery go as planned? Where is the malpractice? Your only beef is that you had full anesthesia instead of local?
Sounds like buyer's remorse to me.

 

[Gravity]

Originally posted by: SuperTool
Did you consent to the surgery after getting two Dr. opinions? Did the surgery go as planned? Where is the malpractice? Your only beef is that you had full anesthesia instead of local?
Sounds like buyer's remorse to me.

Yep, I didn't even consider it until my friend fired off at me. He couldn't believe I was put to sleep for a finger procedure.

I dunno, I don't really need the hassle. The scar is healing nicely.

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: Gravity
They also used a Bier block as a local. It was neat and I was numb. Then they gave me the other shot and I was ZZzzZZzz....for quite a while.

Anisthesia is cumulative and can reside in your liver for days/weeks. If I needed to be anestitized again due to injury, it could have been ineffective or fatal.

That's the danger of the general PLUS the local vs. the local alone.

So, did you bring up these concerns with the anethesiologist and request that just a local be used? Or just after the fact?
The surgeon & anethesiologist reccomended general, and you agreed to it.

Also, are you sure it was a general anethesia? I had a block and some kind of sedative when I had surgery for a pilonidal cyst, and it may as well have been general ... I was gone.

 

[imported_Bishop]

Originally posted by: Gravity
They also used a Bier block as a local. It was neat and I was numb. Then they gave me the other shot and I was ZZzzZZzz....for quite a while.

Anisthesia is cumulative and can reside in your liver for days/weeks. If I needed to be anestitized again due to injury, it could have been ineffective or fatal.

That's the danger of the general PLUS the local vs. the local alone.

You sure it was general then? Many times, a local is used in conjuction with a benzo to put you into "twilight sleep." If you're sure it was general, do you know what kind it was?

EDIT: Sometimes they'll even use a low dosage of general to put you into sedation. That's another possibility.

 

[Homerboy]

God Bless America... Land that I Love...
Sue sue sue!

 

[SLU MD]

Are you sure that you were put to sleep? Were you put on a ventilator? This sounds like there is a good possiblity that they gave you meds that cause amnesia when in fact you were awake throughout. Please check up on that before claiming anything.

SLU MD

 

[XZeroII]

Why didn't you ask them ahead of time? It's your own fault for not researching ahead of time. Don't be a jerk and sue.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: Bishop
Hmm...so you are perfectly fine, yet your friend wants you to sue? And people wonder why medical costs skyrocket. I would expect local to be enough for a lump on your finger, but neither I nor your friend knows why general was used. There may be a perfectly good reason, there may not be a good reason. Either way, the lump is out, you are fine...why sue again?

and you don't think that unnecessarily putting the guy to sleep to remove a lump from a finger has NOTHING to do with skyrocketing medical costs??

:roll: