In our last post, we began telling the story of a Plymouth, Pennsylvania, woman who underwent multiple surgeries, and has alleged in a medical malpractice suit that several doctors and the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital provided her with substandard medical care eventually causing her infertility as well as significant pain, scarring and depression. Below is the conclusion to this story.
The following day, Hebda again experienced uncontrollable vomiting and consequently went to the hospital. In his notes, Dr. Frye indicated that Hebda had a "difficult night," but only noted that the incision site from the previous surgery seemed to be healing well.
Hebda again went to the hospital for her acute abdominal pain, vomiting and nausea. This time she was seen by a new doctor, Peter J. Andrews, who believed Hebda might have been suffering from a bowl obstruction and recommended another surgery. The surgery was completed by Dr. Andrews in early September and Hebda then discontinued any treatment with Dr. Frye.
In late October, Hebda again began experiencing abdominal discomfort and nausea. She returned to the hospital and saw Dr. Andrews who ordered a pelvic and abdominal CT scan. When the results of the scan were analyzed, it was determined that Hebda had an ovarian cyst.
In early December, Hebda underwent another surgery to remove the cyst. Before undergoing the procedure, Hebda claims that she gave specific instructions to both Dr. Andrews and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital that Dr. Frye was not authorized to perform or participate in the removal of the ovarian cyst. Despite her request, Dr. Andrews later admitted to Hebda that Dr. Frye performed the surgical procedure to remove her cyst.
There are a number issues in this case that often come up in medical malpractice cases. The first is the seeming inability to keep track of the patient's condition. If your doctor seems to confuse you with someone else or makes comments about your medical history that seem wrong or out of place, that is always a good time to stop your doctor and make sure they haven't confused your medical history for someone else's.
The second concept is the idea of "informed consent." In Pennsylvania, you have a right to the information you need to make an educated decision about your health. Typically, this means you need to be told about the significant dangers or risks that go along with a procedure. In the case above, it appears from the information available that an informed consent claim might be made as well as any claims being made for medical negligence.
Related Resources: $550,000 lawsuit filed over medical treatment (The Times Leader)