Healthcare

16-month-old goes into surgery; doctors ignore signs of medical errors leading to her death.

April 25, 2016  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" height="300" width="500"><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg6k59e5y4s" /><embed height="300" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg6k59e5y4s" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="500"></embed></object>She had been born with Treacher Collins syndrome, a rare birth defect that left underdeveloped

While waiting for an operation, a teenager is killed after two hospital staffers, unauthorized to help patients without supervision, botch pre-op care.

April 25, 2016  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2991" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/resources_olivia_cull.png" style="width: 200px; height: 203px; float: right;" width="413" height="419" />Olivia Cull was born with a defect that left one side of her heart smaller than the other.  She had surgery to correct it as a baby but needed a second operation as a 17-year-old senior in high school.  During a catheterization procedure to prepare for that second operation, there was an “incident” as Olivia’s mother Joy was told, that left Olivia without oxygen for 40 seconds.</p>

Negligence at every step of the way leads to the death of an infant during delivery.

April 25, 2016  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2988" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/resources_zachary_diecker.png" style="width: 200px; height: 203px; float: right;" width="413" height="419" />An easy pregnancy lead to only positive test results, doctors believed the birth of Zachary Diecker would be typical and he would return with his mother from the hospital only after a couple of days.  But a series of medical errors driven by negligence, lack of oversight, and incompetence would end his life before he even left the hospital.</p>

Inadequate post-op care leads to woman’s asphyxiation.

April 24, 2016  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2986" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/resources_tamara_walter.png" style="width: 200px; height: 203px; float: right;" width="415" height="421" />Tamara Walter underwent a successful lap-band surgery at an outpatient surgery center, but her recovery was another story.</p>

A simple toe fracture turns into a serious medical issue after an irresponsible surgery and overprescription

April 24, 2016  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2984" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/resources_tom_mclennan.png" style="width: 200px; height: 203px; float: right;" width="415" height="421" />For pain from a fractured toe, a podiatrist used 19-year-old Tim McLennan as a guinea pig for experimental surgery.  Tom had suffered a small fracture in the joint of his big toe.  The podiatrist said there was no treatment that would ease the pain, suggesting surgery instead.

After a series of medical errors, from poor cleanliness standards to forgetting to feed her, a little girl dies of infection

April 24, 2016  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2982" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/resources_nora_bostrom.png" style="width: 200px; height: 199px; float: right;" width="423" height="421" />Nora Bostrom had pulmonary hypertension that required her to use oxygen and take intravenous medications.  But in spite of these challenges she had a high quality of life.  She was a bright, funny, and happy three-year-old full of promise and optimism.  But after a visit to the hospital, she became a victim of several preventable medical errors that lead to her death.</p>

After a surgery removing stints in an attempt to relieve pressure after a long battle with illness. Physicians forget to monitor a young woman’s head pressure leading to her death.

April 21, 2016  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2980" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/resources_brittany_wilkinson.png" style="width: 200px; height: 198px; float: right;" width="421" height="417" />Around the Fresno area, she was something of a minor celebrity, a buoyant teen beating the odds against a rare illness.  Brittany Wilkinson pushed hard to raise awareness of mitochondrial myopathy, a disorder that left her largely confined to a wheelchair.  She helped raise money for a cure and even received a proclamation from the Governor for her efforts.</p>

Doctors fail to inform a woman of a much needed vaccine after surgery leading to the amputation of fingers, toes, and feet.

April 20, 2016  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2976" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/resources_screen_shot_2017-04-20_at_2.30.47_pm.png" style="width: 250px; height: 141px; float: right;" width="773" height="430" /></p>

After a failure to run a blood test during chemotherapy, 20-year-old Shawn Rial dies of an infection with his immune system too weak to fight it.

April 20, 2016  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2974" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/resources_shawn_rial.png" style="width: 200px; height: 201px; float: right;" width="419" height="421" />Two months after his cancerous testical was removed, 20-year-old Shawn Rial underwent a week of inpatient chemotherapy.  His family was told testicular cancer was one of the most treatable forms of cancer and he had a 90 percent chance of survival as he was only in stage 2.

Doctor ignored ever frequent contractions from overdue expecting mother. After being sent home numerous times, her daughter is stillborn

April 19, 2016  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2970" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/resources_beth__lehna.png" style="width: 170px; height: 172px; float: right;" width="419" height="425" />Beth Stover, 40, was past her due date when she went in for a stress test to determine if labor should be induced.  A technician noticed Beth was having contraction and Beth was sent home and told she should not be surprised if she were to deliver the baby soon.</p>

A toddler shows signs of a congenital heart disease and signs of high blood pressure. But when going into surgery the Doctor ignores the elevated risks and installs a device that malfunctions, leading to her premature death

April 19, 2016  ·  Evan Thomas King

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Girl is misdiagnosed as having the flu, so her pneumonia goes untreated, leading to her death

April 19, 2016  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2967" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/resources_daniela_zelig.png" style="width: 225px; height: 231px; float: right;" width="427" height="438" />She had a fever, vomiting and shortness of breath.  But when her mom took 10-year-old Daniela Zelig to the hospital, doctors took a look and sent her home.  She was one of the last patients seen by urgent care doctors that day in March 2012 in Kaiser’s Baldwin Park Medical Center.</p>