Bronx Medical Malpractice Lawyer—Patient Welfare Must Always be Upheld

Appendicitis is an excruciating medical condition. When a person sustains it, the appendix will swell and become inflamed very quickly. The only way treat this condition is through appendectomy, or the surgical removal of the appendix. Without treatment, the appendix could burst, which can be very dangerous because the contents of the intestine could then leak into the abdominal cavity and cause serious, massive, and potentially fatal infection.

In Graham, North Carolina, a medical malpractice lawsuit is currently underway. The case involves a patient’s appendicitis and the complications that arose when a medical surgeon, Dr. Andrew Hearn, performed an incomplete appendectomy on his patient, Asma Hajeh, in 2010. Last December 8, 2014, jurors of the case heard attorneys from both sides make their case. They also listened to the plaintiff’s first witness discuss the standard of care for appendicitis.

According to the circumstances of the case, Asma Hajeh went into the ER on Dec. 24, 2009, complaining about severe abdominal pain. She was diagnosed with acute appendicitis. During preparations for her surgery, the doctor discovered that she was three weeks pregnant. Dr. Hearn performed the emergency appendectomy.

Five months after the surgery, Hajeh again began experiencing abdominal pain. The next doctor that she went to diagnosed that she again had appendicitis, and that a second surgery was necessary. During the operation, it was discovered that only about one-third of her appendix was removed previously. Her second appendectomy caused her baby to be born four months premature.

Doctors who perform appendectomy must always uphold the welfare of their patients. When doctors fail to do this, patients can suffer immeasurable pain, possibly even sustain an injury that leads to death. In many cases, a doctor’s failure to uphold his patient’s welfare constitutes malpractice. If you or a loved one has been harmed due to an act of malpractice by a doctor, a skilled Bronx medical malpractice lawyer can help you find out if you have a viable claim.

In a medical malpractice case, you may be entitled to damages for loss of income, reimbursement of medical expenses, and physical and mental anguish. You may be even be able to recover punitive damages. With the efforts of a sophisticated Bronx medical malpractice attorney you can be confident that you’ll receive dedicated and aggressive representation on your behalf.

(Source: Testimony begins in medical malpractice case, The Times News, Dec. 8, 2014)