Posted on 11/19/2010 4:04:27 PM PST by My Favorite Headache
MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBS 2/1010 WINS) — A simple surgery has turned into a living nightmare for a Brooklyn mom.
She was supposed to be in and out of the hospital on the same day. Instead, both her legs had to be amputated because of an alleged medical mishap and now she wants justice.
“It’s hard. Knowing before this happened, I was normal. I didn’t have anything — but, now, I won’t be able to walk unless I have prostheses,” Stacy Galette told CBS 2’s Pablo Guzman.
Galette went to Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola one year ago for what she said was supposed to be a minor gynecological procedure. However, something went wrong and both of her legs were amputated.
Galette said she’s been left with unimaginable anger.
“Knowing that I’m not the same person that I used to be. I’m not walking,” Galette said.
Mother and 10-year-old daughter are still close, in spite of everything. Galette claims that during surgery at Winthrop Hospital, her intestine was punctured, which ultimately led to gangrene and the amputation of both legs below the knees. On Thursday she and her lawyer filed suit against the hospital.
“It’s horrifying. She will have to use prostheses for the rest of her life, for a double below the knee amputation — because of medical malpractice!” attorney Sanford Rubinstein said.
Over the phone, a spokesman for the hospital told Guzman: “As a matter of policy, we don’t comment on pending litigation.”
Dr. Tracey Zivin-Tutela, from St Luke’s Hospital’s infectious disease unit explained what might prompt an emergency amputation.
“In a routine operation something would have gone wrong to cause a blood infection. A blood infection can cause an inflammatory response and cause damage to any organ,” Zivin-Tutela said.
Guzman asked Galette what she can’t do with her daughter now that she misses.
“Walking … doing her hair,” she said.
Since losing her feet, Galette has not been able to work. She had been a medical technician.
Since the double amputation, Galette has lost more. She is also going through a divorce.
So very sad. So very sad.
With Obamacare will will no longer have this type of rare error. It will be common for those who live long enough to get to the head of the line for surgical procedures.
She won’t get justice unless we go back to the Code of Hammurabai.
So I guess she’ll have to settle for money.
Winthrop is said to be a good hospital.
The problem is that there are no good hospitals anymore. You take your chances these days.
This is clearly medical malpractice, even after any form of tort reform.
Usually, when you cover half of a person’s face, you find the’re a “good” half and an “evil” half. Try it with Edwards. They’re both evil.
Her story is certainly a sad one, but we shouldn't make the mistake of thinking we understand the whole situation for sure.
The jurors will hear a much more full version of it, and their opinions are what really matters.
She can’t sue. She doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
We were able to contact the hospital's attorney, Mr. Nathan Thurm...
"Maybe her legs just WANTED to fall off. Did you ever think of THAT?"
This is sad, but damnit, this is a KNOWN potential complication. One that was in the literature I read, and was talked to about with my doctor before I had my Hysterectomy. This lady, may God bless her, was INFORMED that this was possible. Nicking an intestine IS a potentially serious complication that DOES happen during surgery. Its a VERY well known risk, and I don’t think she should have the right to sue over it.
I knew of it, I was informed about it, and I am not at all unusual. I am certain SHE was informed as well.
This is a sad case, but doctors DO make mistakes. Horrible yes, but it does happen.
It is?
Why?
Infections are recognized, disclosed, and consented to risks of surgery.
This is a rare course for an infection to take, but it is also a well-recognized possibility for any type of infection.
If the simple occurrence of well-known and consented to risks become "clearly medical malpractice", then surgery will have to stop being done.
Of course, I don't know this case - there may have been malpractice, before, during, or after the surgery - but that is far from "clear".
“With Obamacare will will no longer have this type of rare error.”
Naah, they’ll just finish the job on the operating table. No muss, no fuss. Case closed.
OUTRAGEOUS is an understatement.
First, Winthrop IS an excellent medical center. Second, without knowimg more of the facts of the case, it’s difficult to speculate as to what exactly transpired. What’s truly troubling is that once the case is in NY’s civil justice system, it will be approximately five years before this woman will receive compensation for her injuries. Plaintiff’s attorney will take his cut right off the top. Defense attorneys will rack up billable hours. The doctors involved, even some who may not have actually seen this patient, will be drawn into the lawyers’ wide net. The Med Mal Mandela turns at its own pace and adds exponentially to the cost of everyone’s healthcare, directly and indirectly. If the government truly wants healthcare reform, I say begin with medical malpractice reform.
huh?? Talk about ZERO context.
Wait until its all government care and you can't sue for mistakes.
No amount of money can make this up to her. Horrible, horrible situation.
In this case, from the limited info available to us - the doctors “punctured” her intestines. My suspicion is that the compromised bowel was not discovered until after she was closed up from the surgery... and thus the infection set in. My theory is based on the fact that a puncture of her bowel that was identified while they were in there would have been closed/repaired with relatively small chance of complication/infection.
Is the sinister side usually the bad side?
I have read about what you talked about in the past and have tried it on some pictures, it seems to be true. Of course no one's face is exactly symmetrical.
On another note, I never realized that the word "symmetrical" had two "m"s in it. Good old spell check caught it for me.
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