Man sues for loss of leg and livelihood

A doctor is being sued after allegedly performing an operation on a man's left leg for a gunshot wound that lead him to require an amputation of the leg. He required an open reduction of the damaged leg with metal plating to hold the bone in place, and a mold to cover the surgical site. He noticed discharge coming from his surgical wounds within days after the operation, to which he alleges the nurses took no notice. When he returned to have the mold removed months later, the skin had turned black and gangrenous and the bone fixation by the plate was unstable. Bone eventually broke through the dead skin and the treatment the man received was massages and continual dressings for six months. The defending surgeon recommended skin debridement when his treatment was failing and the plaintiff sought a second opinion. The second opinion from an orthopaedic surgeon was to amputate the leg as it was almost a year after the initial operation with no improvement in limb function or healing. The plaintiff suffered psychological illness from the loss of his leg, his ability to earn an income and anxiety over the length of unsatisfactory treatment.

Source: summary of medical news story as reported by Sun Star

Related Disease Topics:

• Infection
• Gangrene
• Psychological illness
• Anxiety (type of Neurosis)

Related Symptom Topics:

• Anxiety
• Discharge
• Black skin
• Unstable bone
• Bone fracture

Article Source Details

About: Man sues for loss of leg and livelihood

Date: 27 May 2005

Source: Sun Star

Author: Erwin Delilan

URL: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/bac/2005/05/27/news/doc.faces.raps.for.malpractice..html

Related Medical Topics

This summary article refers to the following medical categories:

• Surgery and litigation
• Surgery and internal fixation
• Surgery and bone plating
• Surgery and orthopedics
• Surgery and complications
• Surgery and infection
• Surgery and open reduction
• Surgery and gangrene
• Surgery and amputation
• Surgery and debridement
• Risk and surgery
• Medical malpractice and bone fracture
• Medical malpractice and orthopedics
• Medical malpractice and gangrene
• Medical malpractice and bone infection
• Medical malpractice and infection
• Medical malpractice and surgery
• Medical malpractice and psychological illness
• Medical malpractice and amputation
• Medical malpractice and loss of income
• Cause of amputation
• Cause of bone fixation
• Cause of psychological illness

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