Diagnostic errors are a leading cause of malpractice lawsuits. However, many medical mistakes can be prevented if physicians take basic safety measures to ensure the safety and welfare of the patient. Sometimes, some patients are unaware of the mistakes that are or could be happening and need to seek out second opinions.

A New York OB/GYN gravely burned a mother during a laser liposuction procedure and then tried to prevent her from going to the hospital to treat her third-degree burns, reports said. The doctor performed the minimally-invasive procedure, which includes placing a long prong into a patient’s skin to burn fat cells with a laser, on the woman almost two years ago. The procedure was done just months after she gave birth to her son.

Although the woman underwent several surgeries after the alleged doctor’s negligence, she still shows severe scarring on her stomach and lower back where she was burned during the laser liposuction procedure.

Following the surgery, the doctor told the 26-year-old woman that the wounds from the $8,000 procedure were not burns and gave her a cream to apply twice each day. But a few days later, the mother passed out from agonizing pain and was taken to a hospital.

However, court papers allege, she soon left the hospital when the doctor told her by phone that she didn’t need emergency care and wanted to see her in his office immediately. Once she got there, the doctor told the woman she looked like she had improved and gave her Silvadene cream – a balm used to treat burns.

Exasperated, the woman got a second opinion with another doctor, who sent her to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center to treat the severe burns. She underwent skin grafting surgery a few days later. The woman decided to sue the doctor who injured her for malpractice.

State officials are deciding whether to strip the doctor of his medical license. The doctor was found liable by a New York judge in the malpractice lawsuit filed in civil court.

Every day people place their trust and health in the hands of doctors and other medical providers. These professionals are still human and sometimes make mistakes. Sometimes these errors can cause people great personal injury. To determine where medical negligence lies, a legal professional should organize a detailed investigation into the situation and then recommend the best course of legal action to take.

Source:  nydailynews.com, “Manhattan OB/GYN scorches patient with lipo laser — sued for malpractice” Joe Kemp, Oct. 16, 2013