Illinois patient settles medical malpractice suit with dentist

healyscanlonveugelergannon • August 18, 2016

When Illinois residents visit a medical professional they expect to be treated with the upmost care. They expect that the professional will uphold the standards of the profession and fix any potential issues that arise. Often, Illinois residents are not able to handle their own medical issues without help, and this is why they turn to trusted doctors, dentists and nurses to treat their ailments. Sadly, some of these medical professionals fail to live up to these expectations and are guilty of medical negligence.

This was recently the case in Illinois when a man visited the dentist. In this case, the man was having a root canal performed. During the procedure, the dentist apparently lost one of the tools he was using. The dentist told the man that he dropped the tool but couldn’t find it. However, the dentist did not elaborate further.

In the days after the dental procedure, the man ended up at his doctor’s office with severe stomach pain and nausea. His doctor ordered an x-ray and the dental tool — an almost two-inch long barbed wire — was found in the man’s stomach. Apparently, the dentist dropped the tool down the man’s throat where he unknowingly swallowed it. Eventually, the man had to have two surgeries to remove the tool and return to health.

The man eventually brought a medical malpractice lawsuit against the dentist. He argued that the dentist should have used a rubber dam which would have protected the man’s throat from instruments that were dropped. Instead, the dentist chose to forgo this protection. Recently, the case settled. As a result, the man was awarded $675,000.

Chicago medical malpractice  lawsuits, like the one in this case, can be extremely important to medical malpractice victims and their families. These individuals can receive the compensation they need as a result of their injuries. This compensation can help to cover the emotional and actual damages caused by the negligence of a doctor or another medical professional.

Source:  National Post, “ A dentist lost a barbed tool during a root canal. It was later found in her patient’s stomach ,” Kristine Guerra, Aug. 5, 2016

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