Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

An article from latimes.com discusses a recent hospital error in Los Angeles that led to eight times the normal dose of radiation affecting hundreds of potential stroke patients who received CT brain scans. In an attempt to follow new protocol that was believed to provide doctors with more useful data in analyzing disruptions in the flow of blood to brain tissue, the specialized type of scan was altered in order to diagnose strokes. Apparently, the error occurred over a year ago, in February 2008, when the CT machines were reset to override the pre-programmed instructions that were originally programmed into the scanner to ensure its proper operation.
Officials at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center stated, “There was a misunderstanding about an embedded default setting applied by the machine…the use of this protocol resulted in higher than expected amount of radiation.”

The problem with the machine went unnoticed for 18 months until August 2009, at which point a stroke patient reported to the hospital that he had experienced significant hair loss after undergoing a scan. What is also shocking is that the machine was used for other kinds of scans as well; however, the reset error is said to have only affected potential stroke patients. After evaluating its records, the hospital discovered and contacted 206 patients who had received the radiation overdose. Many of these patients had experienced reddening of the skin as a result of the scan and approximately 40% had endured patchy hair loss.

Radiation exposure is a very serious issue and is a problem that no one ever expects to experience at a hospital that is supposed to provide a high standard of care to its patients. When medical professionals fail to uphold their duties in ensuring that no harm befalls a patient while he or she is being treated or cared for, incidents of medical negligence or malpractice may result in which an injured patient is entitled to seek compensatory damages for their injuries.

Although this incident of medical malpractice took place in California, similar acts of negligence are also known to occur in Missouri. A few common examples of Missouri medical malpractice claims involve those stemming-around medical professionals:

• Administering improper care


• Abandoning the patient


• Abusing the patient


• Being responsible for prescribed medication error


• Administering improper or delayed diagnosis


• Exhibiting negligence in performing surgical procedures


• Failing to obtain informed consent of the patient