Medical errors

Medical errors in dentistry

Main article: Medical errors in dentistry

Medical errors in plastic surgery

Main article: Medical errors in plastic surgery

Chronicle

2024: Hospital in Yekaterinburg will pay 1.8 million rubles for getting catheter fragments into the child's body

The Regional Children's Clinical Hospital (CSTO) of Yekaterinburg will pay 1.8 million rubles as compensation for moral damage to the family for the mistake of doctors, because of which the baby lived with a piece of catheter in the heart. The corresponding decision was made on February 26, 2024 by the Leninsky District Court of the city. In addition, the medical institution will have to compensate the plaintiffs for air travel in the amount of 58 thousand rubles. Read more here.

2023

The terms of consideration of medical examinations for medical errors in Russia reach 8 years

The waiting period for medical examiners for medical errors has reached two to three, and in some cases even eight years, several lawyers involved in such cases told Izvestia at once. The newspaper issued this article on August 22, 2023.

Lawyer Ivan Pecherei connected the resulting queue with the order of the TFR - on the ground they understand it in such a way that now it is impossible to send an examination in centers subordinate to the Ministry of Health.

In this regard, some studies were even postponed to a later date, and new ones, according to experience, can be expected for years, the expert noted. - I know about cases in which examinations are already scheduled for 2025, 2028 and even 2030.

On August 22, 2023, the Investigative Committee (TFR) of the Russian Federation told TASS that the department was taking measures to reduce the time for the production of forensic medical examinations in criminal cases on poor-quality medical care. To do this, the staff of medical examiners is increasing.

In order to further reduce the time for conducting examinations, the staff of forensic medical experts of the Forensic Expert Center (SEC) of the Investigative Committee of Russia is being increased with the selection of highly qualified personnel, which increases the capabilities of the institution and contributes to improving the quality of the examinations performed, the message says.

The department noted that the Forensic Center of the Investigative Committee already has nine units that are engaged in conducting commission forensic medical examinations.

The UK received the authority to organize a forensic examination in 2019. The thematic law determined that units may appear in the UK that will begin to conduct the entire range of examinations, including genetic and medical-forensic ones. Subsequently, the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, forbade investigators to appoint forensic examinations in cases of medical errors in institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.^[1]

A fine of 18 million rubles for the death of a child due to an error of health workers

On July 25, 2023, the Frunzensky District Court of the city of Ivanovo decided to recover 18 million rubles from the regional budgetary healthcare institution "1st City Clinical Hospital" for the death of a child due to a mistake by medical workers. Read more here.

A case was opened in Sochi after leaving a scalpel in the patient's body

In Sochi, during the operation, doctors forgot a scalpel inside a patient who has cancer. This was reported on June 8, 2023 by the Izvestia newspaper, citing its source.

According to him, doctors from the department of purulent surgery performed an operation on the intestines in winter. A scalpel in the body of a Russian woman was found a few months later on X-rays.

Doctors operated on the patient's intestines and left a scalpel inside on the main artery. When the woman flew to Yekaterinburg, local doctors took pictures and were horrified, the source said.

He added that the woman came to Yekaterinburg to undergo chemotherapy. Subsequently, the doctors admitted their mistake and pulled the scalpel from the patient's body. After the incident, the Russian woman turned to the Investigative Committee.

On this fact, the investigation department for the Central District of Sochi immediately organized a pre-investigation check. Currently, the investigator is carrying out the necessary verification measures aimed at establishing all the circumstances of the incident, - said in a statement by the Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Krasnodar Territory on June 8, 2023.

According to lawyer Maxim Kalinov, if such a medical error occurred, it is not only possible, but also necessary to demand compensation for harm. Before that, it is best to conduct a forensic medical examination to understand whether the foreign body caused any other damage to the body, and, based on this, to build on the amount of moral and material damage.

The funds will be collected from the medical institution without fail, and for how much - the court will decide on the basis of the documents provided. In addition, the doctor will at least be brought to disciplinary responsibility, that is, he will be reprimanded or dismissed. At the discretion of the management, - says the lawyer.[2]

Award of 3 years of restriction of liberty for the death of a child

At the end of February 2023, the Novomoskovsk City Court found Polina Kozlova, an anesthesiologist-resuscitator at the Novomoskovsk City Clinical Hospital, guilty of the death of a minor patient. The doctor was sentenced to 2.9 years of restriction of freedom, and was also banned from medical activities for three years. Read more here.

A hospital in St. Petersburg will pay 3 million rubles for the death of a patient after a gynecological operation

The Petrodvortsovy District Court of St. Petersburg announced the verdict against the obstetrician-gynecologist Alla Ananko, who was found guilty of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. This was announced on February 6, 2023 by the United Press Service of the Courts of St. Petersburg. Read more here.

A criminal case was opened in Sterlitamak in connection with the death of a baby

The Investigation Department for the city of Sterlitamak of the Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Bashkortostan opened a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Part 2 of Art. 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (causing death by negligence due to improper performance by a person of his professional duties). The press service of the regional TFR announced this on January 10, 2023. Read more here.

Two anesthesiologists in the Altai Territory were given 3 years in prison after the death of a child

The court sentenced anesthesiologists-resuscitators of the Soviet Central District Hospital in the Altai Territory. They were found guilty of providing services that do not meet safety requirements, resulting in the death of a child by negligence (paragraph "b" and "in" part 2 of article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), the press service of the regional investigation department of the TFR reported on January 9, 2023. Read more here.

2022

A criminal case was opened in Chelyabinsk after the death of a 26-year-old woman in labor and her child

On December 21, 2022, the Investigative Committee of Russia announced the initiation of a criminal case after the death of a 26-year-old woman and her child in a maternity hospital in Chelyabinsk. We are talking about Part 2 of Art. 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - causing death by negligence due to improper performance of professional duties. Read more here.

A doctor in Novosibirsk forgot a napkin in the patient's wound, and she died

The first department for the investigation of particularly important cases (crimes against the person and public security) of the Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Novosibirsk Region completed the investigation of a criminal case against a doctor in one of the regional hospitals. The medical worker is accused of committing a crime under Part 2 of Art. 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (causing death by negligence due to improper performance by a person of his professional duties), the press service of the regional department of the TFR reported on December 14, 2022.

According to the investigation, in September 2021, the accused left a gauze medical napkin in the patient's postoperative wound during surgery. After that, from September to November 2021, the 68-year-old victim complained of acute pain in the hip area, in connection with which she was taken to the hospital, where she died. The cause of death of the victim was a foreign body - a medical napkin, which led to the development of an inflammatory process.

The accused did not admit guilt in the commission of the alleged crime. During the preliminary investigation, investigators of the regional Investigative Committee of Russia carried out a set of investigative actions aimed at collecting evidence. Including the conclusion of a comprehensive forensic medical examination, the results of which established a causal relationship between the actions of the doctor and the death of the patient.

It is reported that the investigation has collected a sufficient evidence base, in connection with which the criminal case with the indictment approved by the deputy prosecutor of the Novosibirsk region was sent to the court for consideration on the merits. The name of the accused doctor and the name of the hospital where the incident occurred were not disclosed by mid-December 2022.^[3]

Infant death after taking a doctor-prescribed sedative pill

At the end of November 2022, in Irkutsk, the baby died after taking the medicine prescribed to him by a doctor at a children's clinic. Read more here.

Anesthesiologist Andriyanov Alexey was hungover. In the Novosibirsk region, a case was opened over the death of a baby in a hospital

On November 25, 2022, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Novosibirsk Region announced the initiation of a criminal case after the death in the hospital of the village of Chistoozernoye of a one and a half month old child who was admitted with signs of a cold. Read more here.

In the Kursk region, a case was opened against an anesthesiologist about sending a live patient to the morgue

In November 2022, the criminal case of the anesthesiologist-resuscitator of the Gorshechensky Central District Hospital, who sent a living patient to the morgue, was sent for further investigation to the Department for Especially Important Cases of the Department of the Investigative Committee for the Kursk Region. Read more here.

In the Saratov clinic, the patient died after esophageal damage with fibrogastroduodenoscopy

On November 9, 2022, the Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation announced the completion of the investigation of a criminal case opened against a medical worker under Part 2 of Art. 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (causing death by negligence due to improper performance by a person of his professional duties). Read more here.

In Tula, a 3-year-old child died after damage to the lung with a catheter with a blood transfusion

Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia (TFR) Alexander Bastrykin took control of the investigation of the criminal case into the death of a three-year-old child on December 1, 2021 in the Tula Children's Regional Clinical Hospital. This was announced on November 8, 2022 in the press service of the department. Read more here.

The medical center will pay the patient for damage to the eye with a sinkhorotomy 2 million rubles

In October 2022, the Sovetsky District Court of Tula recovered from LLC Medical raid"" (medical center "Consultant") in favor of the patient compensation for moral damage for causing grievous bodily harm in the amount of 2 million. rubles More. here

The deputy head of the Rostov hospital was accused of negligence, which led to the death of 13 patients

The Sovetsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don received a case against Anna Kolenova, deputy chief physician for equipment and economic part of the city hospital No. 20, accused of negligence. This was announced by the joint press service of the courts of the Rostov region on September 15, 2022. Read more here.

The deputy head doctor in the Krasnodar Territory was accused of causing death by negligence

The deputy prosecutor of the Krasnodar Territory approved the indictment in the criminal case against the deputy chief physician of the central hospital of the Temryuk district. She is accused of committing a crime under Part 2 of Art. 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (causing death by negligence due to improper performance by a person of his professional duties). The press service of the Prosecutor General's Office announced this on September 14, 2022. Read more here.

In Tatarstan, a man was paralyzed and died after teeth were removed

On August 17, 2022, the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for Tatarstan announced the initiation of a criminal case on the death of a man after tooth removal. We are talking about 39-year-old Denis Batman. Read more here.

3 million rubles of compensation for a medical error were collected from the hospital nine years later

On July 12, 2022, the Pervomaisky District Court of Krasnodar recovered 3 million rubles of moral damage for the death of a patient as a result of a medical error that was made in the Tikhoretsky Central District Hospital nine years earlier. Read more here.

A court in Samara recovered 4.3 million rubles from the hospital for the death of a child

In early May 2022, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Samara recovered 4.3 million rubles from the Bezenchuk Central District Hospital in favor of parents who lost their child due to a medical error. Read more here.

A private doctor was detained in Moscow after a circumcision operation in a monthly child at home

On April 18, 2022, it became known about the initiation of a criminal case against a 30-year-old man who performed a circumcision operation on the baby at home. Read more here.

In a Venezuelan hospital, a surgeon forgot scissors in the patient's stomach

In mid-April 2022 in Venezuela, a patient died after negligent surgeons left scissors in his stomach during surgery. Relatives of the deceased claim that doctors hid his true condition from them and tried to pretend that everything went without problems. Read more here.

Medical institutions in Kamchatka will pay 50 million rubles for the death of a woman in labor

On February 14, 2022, the court recovered from health institutions of the Kamchatka Territory compensation for moral damage in the amount of over 50 million rubles in favor of the relatives of the deceased patient - the woman died after giving birth due to the actions of doctors. Read more here.

Obstetrician-gynaecologist gets 3 years in prison over newborn death

On March 4, 2022, the Bratsk City Court of the Irkutsk Region sentenced the obstetrician-gynecologist of the city perinatal center Tatyana Kuzmenko to three years in prison due to the death of a newborn. She was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm by negligence and causing death due to improper performance of professional duties. Read more here.

2021

Tyumen court ordered the hospital to pay 800 thousand rubles to a woman for the death of her son due to a medical error

On December 20, 2021, GBUZ TO "Regional Hospital No. 12," providing primary health care to the population of the Zavodoukovsky and Uporovsky districts of the Tyumen region at the outpatient and inpatient stages, was fined 800 thousand rubles by a local court for a medical error. Read more here.

The court recovered from "Medicine 24/7" 50 million rubles for poor-quality treatment of television producer Vladimir Artsibashev

In December 2021, the Savelovsky District Court partially satisfied Angela Khachaturian's claim against the Medicine 24/7 clinic and recovered 50 million rubles of compensation in favor of her and other family members of producer and director Vladimir Artsibashev. Read more here.

In Tatarstan, a criminal case was opened against doctors after amputation of the patient's legs

In early December 2021, a criminal case was opened against employees of the Leninogorsk Central District Hospital in Tatarstan under Part 2 of Art. 118 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (causing serious harm to the patient) and Part 2 of Art. 293 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (negligence). Read more here.

Surgeon to pay thousands of euros to have wrong leg amputated

On December 1, 2021, information appeared that a surgeon in Austria was fined €7.7 thousand after he amputated the wrong leg to the patient in early 2021. The elderly patient removed the right leg instead of the left, and the error was discovered only two days later.

The patient went to a clinic in Freistadt, Austria in May 2020 for a leg amputation, but the surgeon marked the 82-year-old patient's wrong limb before the surgery itself. The error was identified during a routine dressing change and the patient was told he would have to have his second leg amputated as well. The court also found the 43-year-old nurse guilty of gross negligence and fined her €2.7 thousand.

The widow of the patient, who died before the case reached the court, also received compensation in the amount of €5 thousand. In court, the surgeon said that subordination was violated in the operating room. The hospital said the incident was a result of a string of unfortunate circumstances and the director of the medical facility issued a public apology at a press conference. At the trial, a 43-year-old employee said that subordination was violated in the operating room when asked why this happened, that the medical worker marked her right leg, and not her left, she only noted that she did not know the answer to this question. After the incident, the surgeon changed her place of work and moved to another clinic and continued her career. The court found her guilty in the negligence case and the surgeon was fined and ordered to pay compensation to the patient's widow.

Although such cases are rare, there have already been similar incidents, for example, in 1995 in the United States, a doctor halfway through the operation discovered that he was amputating the wrong leg to a patient with diabetes. The medical worker was forced to continue the operation due to the fact that he had already cut the muscles, tendons and ligaments.^[4]

2020

SC: 5 patients died due to the fault of the doctors of the clinic in Moscow

On November 16, 2020, the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for Moscow announced the initiation of a criminal case after the death of five patients in a private clinic in the capital. According to the investigation, the clients of the medical institution died due to the fault of the doctors. Read more here.

Hospital in Nizhny Novgorod fined for gross violations in treatment that led to the death of a patient

At the end of October 2020, the Nizhny Novgorod District Court ruled to recover 150 thousand rubles from the Balakhna Central District Hospital, in which a patient died due to gross violations in treatment. Read more here.

Man, 28, dies of ruptured aorta after erroneous CT scan

At the end of October 2020, an investigation began at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the UK after the death of 28-year-old Lucas Allard, who died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm. The physician mistakenly decided to prescribe Allard taking into account the favorable CT results, but these pictures belonged to another patient. As a result, Allard suffered a ruptured aneurysm. The head physician of the hospital said that the staff learned from this case and made a number of changes to administrative procedures in order to avoid similar tragedies in the future. Read more here.

Cosmetologist Yulia Kachanova sentenced to 2 years in a general regime colony for the death of a patient

In mid-October 2020, the Dorogomilovsky District Court sentenced cosmetologist Yulia Kachan to two years in a general regime colony for the death of a patient. The doctor was found guilty of committing a crime under Part 2 of Art. 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (provision of services that do not meet the requirements of the safety of life or health of consumers, resulting in the death of a person by negligence). Read more here.

The Russian woman was left without a uterus due to an abortion by a midwife without education and sued her 350 thousand rubles

In early October 2020, the Penza Regional Court ruled that a midwife who previously worked in one of the regional hospitals would have to pay 350 thousand rubles in compensation for moral damage to a woman injured in an illegal abortion. Read more here.

Ulyanovsk clinic fined for poor-quality vacuum abortion, because of which the girl will not be able to get pregnant

In early September 2020, the Zavolzhsky District Court of Ulyanovsk fined the local clinic Medical ozone"" for a poorly performed vacuum abortion, due to which a 31-year-old patient will no longer be able to have children. here More.

American sued $11 million from the clinic for cardiac arrest during an MRI scan

In early September 2020, a man from Pennsylvania received compensation in the amount of $11 million from the clinic that conducted an MRI scan for cardiac arrest and irreversible brain damage. The reason was an allergic reaction to gadolinium contrast used in the examination. Read more here.

Novosibirsk surgeon was given 2 years in prison for the death of a patient from aortic damage during diagnosis

The Leninsky District Court of Novosibirsk at the end of August 2020 sentenced surgeon Andrei Titov to two years in prison and deprivation of the right to engage in medical activities for a period of two years for the death of the patient. Andrei Titov, who worked in hospital No. 34, was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (causing death by negligence, due to improper performance by a person of his official duties). Read more here.

The Russian woman who lost her leg due to a medical error sued 750 thousand rubles from the hospital

On July 29, 2020, it became known that the Odintsovo Central District Hospital paid 750 thousand rubles to a patient who, due to a medical error, lost her leg and became disabled in group III. The corresponding verdict was made by the Odintsovo City Court of the Moscow Region. Read more here.

Imprisonment of a false surgeon for implanting vasilin instead of breast implants

On July 9, 2020, the Leninsky District Court of the city of Grozny convicted the false surgeon Rosa Dushaeva, who pumped Vaseline oil on her breasts. Read more here.

Incompetent doctor pumped girl's artery instead of lips

In mid-January 2020, 22-year-old beauty blogger Cassidy Valentine told how the actions of an incompetent surgeon almost caused lip necrosis. It turned out that the cosmetologist who operated on the girl mistakenly injected hyaluronic acid instead of soft tissue into the artery and disrupted the blood supply to the lips. Read more here.

2019: Surgeon removes healthy kidney confused with tumor and gets off with $3k fine

On January 14, 2019, the Florida Medical Board announced that a West Palm Beach surgeon would pay a $3,000 fine for removing a healthy kidney that he confused with a tumor. Other guilty doctors paid $250,000 each.

Surgeon Ramon Vazquez operated on fifty-year-old Maureen Pacheco on April 29, 2016 - he had to provide access so that two other surgeons could perform back surgery designed to relieve pain after a car crash. Pacheco discovered a kidney that did not rise from the pelvis into the retroperitoneal space, and Vazquez, believing it to be a cancerous tumor, removed it without the patient's consent. Vázquez said he did not check Pacheco's medical records before the surgery because the records were not in the hospital at the time.

Vasquez later learned from a pathomorphologist that the removed tissue was a healthy, albeit underdeveloped kidney. It is known that one kidney is enough for survival, but such an error can reduce life expectancy by a year and make the patient more susceptible to renal failure and chronic kidney diseases.

The judicial inquiry also found that while Vázquez enjoyed all the privileges of hospital staff, he was not technically employed or immune from abuse of office if anything went wrong.

Later than a year later, on June 22, 2017, Pacheco sued two major surgeons, each of whom paid $250,000. dollars Vazquez was also sued for abuse of office, but he escaped with a fine of $3,000. In addition, Vazquez was ordered to undergo a three-hour training on preoperative assessment of the patient's condition and an hour-long lecture on medical errors in surgery.^[5]

2017: Deprived of a testicle due to a medical error sued $870,000.

In the United States, a man who, due to the negligence of a doctor, lost a healthy testicle, obtained compensation. Four years after the surgical error, in early June 2017, he was awarded $870,000, reports CBS News.^[6]

The incident occurred in 2013. Steven Hanes, 54, who has suffered from chronic pain in his right testicle for many years, sought medical help. An ultrasound showed that there was scarring on the testicle due to an earlier injury. As evidenced by the materials of the court, excerpts from which The Washington Post publishes, as a treatment, the patient was prescribed an orchiectomy - the surgical removal of an unhealthy testes.

The man was operated on by surgeon V. Spencer Long at J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital in Huntington County, Pennsylvania, USA. However, after the operation, it turned out that instead of the patient's right, the left healthy testes were removed.

In 2014, Stephen Haines filed a lawsuit against the surgeon and clinic, accusing both of criminal negligence and negligence.

A Pennsylvania jury ruled to pay Stephen Haines compensation in the amount of $620 thousand. The judges also found that Dr. Long showed negligent indifference in treatment and sentenced to compensation for moral damage in the amount of $250 thousand. The doctor declined to comment after the verdict.

Haines' lawyer Braden Lepisto in an interview with The Washington Post noted that during the trial it remained unclear how the surgeon could have made such a mistake.

The arguments that he made do not make any sense either from a medical or anatomical point of view, "the defender emphasized.

The hospital also declined to comment but confirmed Dr Long was no longer working for them.^[7]

2016: Cause of mortality No. 3:251 thousand people a year die from medical errors in the United States

In early May 2016, the BMJ journal published the results of a study on medical errors. From them, as experts found out, patients in the United States die very often.

The study was conducted at Johns Hopkins University. They analyzed mortality as a result of medical errors and calculated that about 251 thousand people die from them in the United States every year. The authors of the report add that the figure may be higher, since it does not take into account data from nursing homes.

According to researchers, due to medical errors, they die more often than from severe respiratory diseases, such as emphysema and bronchitis. Moreover, medical errors are called the third most common cause of death of Americans after heart disease (about 611 thousand US residents die from them annually) and cancer (585 thousand deaths per year).

Johns Hopkins University notes that most medical errors go unnoticed. At least, they are not always recorded in official documentation.

The researchers emphasized that the death of the patient in most cases provokes not "bad doctors," but systemic errors, such as insufficient care, untimely, insufficient or erroneous diagnosis, incorrect treatment, lack of interaction between medical services.

The authors of the study note that the United States is one of more than 100 countries in the world that do not systematically record the causes of mortality. Experts associate this with following WHO statistical standards, which do not provide for such an analysis.

Based on the results obtained, scientists recommended improving the system of accounting and preventing medical errors. In particular, they proposed to indicate defects in treatment  on death certificates.^[8]

Notes