Medical malpractice in South Florida often results in doctors having to face penalties from their medical associations. Last week, the Florida Board of Medicine levied a $5,000 fine on a Coral Springs surgeon Bernard Zaragoza for removing a patient's healthy kidney instead of his gallbladder during an operation in 2007. The surgery took place in Broward county's Northwest Medical Center, and the patient died three weeks later because of heart failure. While the board found that the doctor was not being careless or inept, it could not dismiss the case because a state hearing officer issued a ruling that said removal of a kidney is not a complication of gallbladder surgery, as the doctor's attorney had argued. The 83-year-old patient had an unusual anatomy - his kidney was located where his gallbladder should have been.
A Northwest Medical Center administrator was forced to report the wrong-organ removal to the Agency for Health Care Administration, a requirement for serious errors. The AHCA then notified the Department of Health.
It is unfortunate that physician errors occur with the regularity that they do, but the medical malpractice attorneys of Gamba & Lombana have the experience to make sure that those victimized have a voice. If you or a family member has been a victim of medical malpractice, please contact us for a no obligation consultation.
