Every medical procedure has risks associated with it. From seemingly simple procedures carried out in a doctor’s office to scheduled surgical procedures, there is always the risk of a patient experiencing complications both during and after a procedure. Doctors and surgeons are trained to mitigate such risks. When a doctor or surgeon makes a medical error, however, their action or inaction may directly contribute to a patient suffering harm and injury.

A woman who underwent surgery to resolve pain she was experiencing from spinal cord compression, recently filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against both the surgeon who performed the operation and the hospital at which the procedure was carried out.

In an effort to relieve pain associated with the compression of the woman’s vertebrae, the surgeon attempted to perform a procedure in which material is removed from a patient’s spinal cord discs. After the material is removed, the discs are then fused together to prevent future compression problems. According to the lawsuit, while the surgeon was performing the surgery, the woman’s spinal cord and nerves were damaged.

As a result of the surgical error, the woman developed a condition known as Horner’s syndrome which effects, among other things, an individual’s eye muscles and movement. The woman recently filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the surgeon and hospital citing the defendants are negligent in causing her disfigurement and disability.

The woman is seeking damages in excess of $100,000 related to emotional distress, pain and suffering, disability and disfigurements, medical expenses and lost wages.

Source: The Madison County Record, “Surgeon accused of damaging spinal cord in St. Clair County suit,” Kelly Holleran, May 15, 2013