Tonsillectomy Lawsuit Due to Taste Loss

An ENT was sued for $1.5 million dollars for normal taste loss that occurred after tonsillectomy that was performed in 2009. The jury did not find the ENT negligent, but awarded the money due to failure to obtain "informed consent." Given the patient is a restaurant owner and cook, the loss of normal taste has impacted his life tremendously. [ link ] Taste loss/alteration after tonsillectomy is an extremely rare complication... like very rare to the point where it is worth writin…

5/11/2015 0

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Man Files $15 million Lawsuit Against NYC Citi Bike Claiming Smell Loss From Bike Crash

Image by Pharos of Wikipedia In 2013, a man rented a bicycle from New York City's Citi Bike program. Apparently while riding this rental bike, the front wheel struck a wheelstop installed near a bicycle docking station which the man did not notice, flipping him resulting in head trauma. This head trauma resulted in permanent smell and taste loss. [ link ] The wheelstop is meant to prevent cars from from backing into bike stations, but the lawsuit alleges "no cones or colored wa…

3/30/2014 0

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Don't Like a Research Paper? Sue the Journal and Authors...

What is a lawyer to do if medical research produces results that make it more difficult to win lawsuits? Why you sue the medical journal and the researchers who authored it. And you ask the medical journal to retract it. And than you ask for a court order forbidding the report to be entered as evidence in future litigation. Sound like a joke? Wish it was, except it happened... is happening... A Boston lawyer has sued the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology for a case re…

9/20/2013 1

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ENT Surgeon Sues Spine Surgeon for Wrong Sided Surgery

Wrong sided surgery is extremely rare occurring anywhere from 0.09 to 4.5 per 10,000 surgeries performed. It is almost unheard of when the patient is a surgeon as well. On Nov 13, 2012, media reported that an ENT surgeon (plaintiff) sued his spine surgeon (defendant) over wrong-sided surgery. The ENT surgeon had spine surgery in 2011 for low back pain which was allegedly due to pinched nerves. The treatment called for laminectomy surgery on the right side which entails bone removal t…

11/18/2012 0

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Problem with Medical Protocols (and Lawsuits Because of Them)

Over the past decade working in hospitals, I've seen the proliferation of "established procedures and protocols" for literally everything under the sun... • Chest Pain Protocol • Discharge Protocol • Pneumonia Protocol • Stroke Protocol etc, etc, etc Protocols are essentially standing orders that are supposed to be implemented whenever a given medical situation occurs. It is supposed to follow best evidence-based practices and make it easy for healthcare personnel know w…

11/17/2012 0

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Sinus Surgery Lawsuit Ruled Against ENT

A patient who had undergone endoscopic sinus surgery suffered detachment of the extraocular muscle resulting in double vision that required further surgical intervention. A jury found against the ENT and ambulatory surgery center rewarding $2.5 million dollars to not only the patient, but also the wife "for loss of consortium" . Damage to the eye and vision is part of the normal consent process for endoscopic sinus surgery when considering the geographic proximity of the eye a…

9/12/2012 2

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