A Medical Malpractice Suit Filed
Harris’s widow, Patricia has filed a lawsuit against the VA for medical malpractice as of June 1, 2018. The suit states that the medical staff’s incorrect inflation resulted in both great physical and emotional suffering for Harris, as well as loss of his company for Patricia. The case is suing for pain and suffering, financial, and emotional damages, with the amount currently unspecified.
Medical malpractice cases work by pointing out the negligent acts of a healthcare professional. Such actions can include incorrect diagnosis and improper treatment, and the healthcare professional must have performed the actions unintentionally.
Urinary tract infections are relatively common medical complications and are often due to bacteria in catheters. Much less common are infections and other injuries caused by the misplacement of a catheter. Practices like monitoring urinary output, both before and after catheter placement, can make these kinds of damages preventable. The healthcare staff who misplaced Harris’s catheter could be liable for the damages that followed the procedure.
As the case proceeds, Patricia will need to show proof that a “reasonable” doctor would have inserted the catheter correctly and how Harris’s treatment deviated from this standard through the help of an expert healthcare professional. The lawsuit will also need to prove that the resulting infections and septic shock resulted from the misplaced catheter and were not due to bacteria on the catheter or some other cause.
The Kansas City VA Medical Center has declined to make any public comments about Harris’s treatment, in accordance with their patient privacy policy. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, who handles the VA’s civil litigation cases and will be defending the hospital in the lawsuit, has also not made any public remarks about the case.
