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Medical malpractice suit filed after boy enters vegetative state

On Behalf of | Jul 16, 2016 | Medical Malpractice

The carelessness of a hospital in New York may lead to permanent injuries to a patient, which is grounds for litigation. In one recent out-of-state case, a mother and father filed a medical malpractice suit against a pediatric office, alleging that the office left their boy in a vegetative state that is permanent. Their son is now 7.

The couple took their son to the pediatric office after he had been vomiting during the past week. One doctor treated him, and the doctor is accused of not conclusively diagnosing the cause of his vomiting. In addition, according to the suit, no record was found that the boy’s pulse had been taken.

The parents said they later contacted the physician several times because their son was continuing to vomit. When the boy went back to the doctor, the doctor again reportedly did not determine the cause of the vomiting, and his pulse did not appear to have been taken yet again. The boy went back to the doctor a third time, at which point his pulse was taken, and he was referred to a gastroenterologist. The gastroenterologist reportedly took his pulse and said he had supraventricular tachycardia. The boy’s condition ended up deteriorating, and his respirations doubled.

The boy’s parents claimed that the hospital did not intubate the boy in a timely fashion. The next day, the boy entered a vegetative state after suffering neurological injury. In their lawsuit, the parents are seeking compensatory damages for both noneconomic and economic losses, as well as other expenses. It is within the rights of any person in New York who has suffered harm as a result of medical malpractice to seek to hold the negligent party responsible through the civil court system.

Source: wvgazettemail.com, “Putnam parents file suit against pediatrician alleging medical malpractice“, Laura Haight, June 30, 2016

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