Medical Malpractice Newsletters

Aggravation of Injuries in Medical Malpractice Cases

What happens if, after a patient has been injured by the negligence of a physician, he or she goes to a second physician for treatment of the injury caused by the first doctor, and the injury is aggravated by the negligence of the second doctor? The answer may be surprising. Generally, the rule is that the first physician whose negligence caused injury is also liable for additional injury later caused by the negligent treatment that the patient received from the second physician, provided that the patient used ordinary care in selecting the second physician. The patient is not obligated to find the best physician available, but is only required to act with due care and good faith in selecting the second physician. Therefore, a negligent doctor is liable not only for the injury caused by his own acts but is also liable for any additional harm resulting from the manner in which reasonably required medical services are rendered.

Chiropractor Malpractice

Chiropractor Malpractice

Liability of Ambulance Attendants and Emergency Medical Technicians

Many times the first contact that a sick or injured individual has with a hospital is when an ambulance arrives at his home, the attendant and the emergency medical technician work over him, and he is loaded into the ambulance for the trip to the hospital. Now assume that the patient is in even worse shape when he gets to the hospital, and the reason for the decline in his condition appears to be the conduct of the emergency health care provider. Does the patient have a cause of action for medical malpractice against the health care providers or their employers, and if so, do the health care providers have any defenses against the action?

Malpractice in Cesarean Sections

Generally, a physician delivers a fetus through an abdominal and uterine incision when further delay in delivery might compromise the health of either the fetus or the mother. The rate of cesarean deliveries in the United States is increasing at a remarkable rate, and the reasons for this increase include the older age of women having children, the use of electronic fetal monitoring, a decrease in the use of forceps, and an increase in repeat cesarean sections and breech deliveries.

Medical Malpractice in Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic surgery is any surgical procedure performed for the purpose of appearance. It includes procedures that are superficial and beautifying along with more serious reconstructive procedures performed to improve disfigured portions of patients' bodies. It is a multi-billion dollar industry that received an important impetus for growth after the United States Supreme Court ruled that the American Medical Association could not prohibit professional advertising.