Medical Error Nightmares

[Consultsone]

What are your experiences or stories regarding medical error nightmares at hospitals?
Locally we have had so many that have spread throughout the community that never seem to make it to the paper.
Like:

• Nurse forgets to replace a cap on a arterial line that ended up in the patient bleeding out in a few minutes.
  Nurse forgets to check lines on a dialysis machine and the blood poured out on the floor while she went to break.
  Nurse didn't take time to get a blood warmer for blood transfusion thru it in the microwaved and gave blood ... patient died from blood clots from cooked blood.

What are your experiences?

[margaret0524]

Yikes!   I am beginning to think that MD stands for Mentally Deficient.  I was attacked by a cat 16 years ago.   The darling left many chips of his teeth in the cartilege of my nose and in my facial muscles.   The doctors, and I have gone to 22 so far, haven't helped at all.   I believe they are afraid of hurting the original doctor who didn't clean my wounds.   Please be aware of how dangerous cat bites are!!!!!!  Go to a good doctor, and bring someone with you who will support your cause.   I am lucky to be alive.   I have spent 2 weeks in Intensive Care with heart failure because of the rampant infection throughout my body caused by the chips of kitty teeth. 

[ktheodos]

What are your experiences or stories regarding medical error nightmares at hospitals?
Locally we have had so many that have spread throughout the community that never seem to make it to the paper.
Like:

• Nurse forgets to replace a cap on a arterial line that ended up in the patient bleeding out in a few minutes.
  Nurse forgets to check lines on a dialysis machine and the blood poured out on the floor while she went to break.
  Nurse didn't take time to get a blood warmer for blood transfusion thru it in the microwaved and gave blood ... patient died from blood clots from cooked blood.

Yikes, wow, those are unfortunate, where have these been occurring?

What are your experiences?

[Consultsone]

Yikes!   I am beginning to think that MD stands for Mentally Deficient.  I was attacked by a cat 16 years ago.   The darling left many chips of his teeth in the cartilege of my nose and in my facial muscles.   The doctors, and I have gone to 22 so far, haven't helped at all.   I believe they are afraid of hurting the original doctor who didn't clean my wounds.   Please be aware of how dangerous cat bites are!!!!!!  Go to a good doctor, and bring someone with you who will support your cause.   I am lucky to be alive.   I have spent 2 weeks in Intensive Care with heart failure because of the rampant infection throughout my body caused by the chips of kitty teeth. 

Sounds like your original doctor wasn't up on infectious diseases: dog and cat bites usually infect patients with gram negative and strep bacteria. Antibiotics not just topical should be given.
They can lead to in-plaquing on your heart and total blood poisoning.

I call doctors that protect doctors the scrub wall ... good luck trying to penetrate it.

more examples locally:

Doctor leaves surgical equipment in a C-section patient dies of massive infection.
Doctor shows up drunk for surgery and cuts off wrong limb.
Doctor does an intestinal resection on a patient who's lab samples belonged to another patient ... it was mislabeled.

Be vigilant!

[altnmjt]

i watch discovery health all the time an i have seen a episode where the surgeon lefy soo much gauze and a pair of siccors that after a couple months the patient  noticed it protruding out. scares me to go under. 

[Consultsone]

i watch discovery health all the time an i have seen a episode where the surgeon lefy soo much gauze and a pair of siccors that after a couple months the patient  noticed it protruding out. scares me to go under. 

Yeah what's unnerving is that hospitals determine what is a reportable to the state. Investigations are usually internal and manage to be swept under the rug.
Healthcare workers are discourage from reporting (though there are many options). Hospital lawyers usually turn worker reporting into a disgruntle worker and then attempt to get the individuals license for being a whistle blower.

Some hospitals just cut a check to keep quiet to incidents.
Some hospitals bury the patient in paperwork.

[altnmjt]

i find that to be sickining. the next time i go into a hospital its gonna make me think "okay how many people did they really sow up with crap  in them".