When a person in Pennsylvania experiences a serious medical complication, family members likely know to expect the unexpected. However, they maintain an expectation that doctors and other medical professionals will ensure that their loved ones receive the necessary and appropriate care. Because the family members of a deceased out-of-state woman claim that the patient was a victim of medical malpractice, they have filed a lawsuit against the hospital that treated her.
According to family members of the now-deceased 75-year-old woman, she entered the hospital to undergo surgery as a result of lung cancer. When she suffered a heart attack following surgery, she was transferred to the intensive care unit. Her son and daughter claim that one morning when hospital workers were checking the woman's intubation, they discovered maggots in her mouth and nose. While they were suctioned out, they claim that maggots were again discovered later that day.
Although those were also removed, one was found on her thigh three days later, prompting the hospital to move her to another room. Claiming medical malpractice, neglect and abuse, the woman's son and daughter have filed a lawsuit against the hospital. The hospital has since denied the claims against it and vows to fight in court. The woman passed away after being transferred to hospice care.
While most medical care providers in Pennsylvania are well-trained professionals who go to great lengths to protect the patients with whom they come into contact, medical malpractice still occurs. This form of negligence often leaves families devastated and concerned about the fate of future patients. A lawsuit can often force hospitals and medical care professionals to examine their current procedures and often leads to revisions in order to protect others.