Doctors perform all types of procedures, ranging from quick and easy to the invasive kind. But when it comes to surgical procedures, patients truly must place their trust in the surgeon that he or she will perform the procedure accurately and safely. And oral surgery is no different.
Oral surgeons and dentists are held to the same standard of care as general physicians and if a patient in New York is injured due to a breach of that standard of care, the patient is within his or her rights to sue the doctor with the assistance of New York Surgical Error Attorney. Patients in two Oklahoma cities may be weighing their options on suing their oral surgeon after shocking news surfaced last week.
The doctor in Oklahoma may have exposed over 7,000 patients to HIV or hepatitis over the course of six years. Letters were issued to all of these patients, which disclosed a public health hazard at the surgeon’s two clinics because of poor hygiene. The letter also suggested that these patients get tested. However, there was no mention as to why it took so long for authorities to catch the unsafe conditions.
Testing and screenings were set up in the surrounding areas and so far hundreds of people have patients have come forward. The tests are for HIV (the virus that cause AIDS) and both hepatitis B and C. Patients are rightfully nervous as they await results.
Apparently inspectors discovered a number of disturbing issues at the clinics, including the practice of reinserting needles into drug vials after patient use, expired drugs and dental assistants administering sedatives, instead of the doctor, which is illegal. Sterilization is critical in this field and the surgeon’s sterilization machine had not been certified for as long as six years. Given the conditions, it’s a surprise that more patients didn’t come forward with reports of surgeon error or infection earlier.
The Oklahoma Dentistry Board filed a 17-count complaint against the oral surgeon and he is scheduled for a license revocation hearing this month.
Maintaining a clean and safe environment for patients is simply a fundamental part of running a dental practice. Although the test results for these patients are not yet known, anyone who contracted a disease from the doctor or was injured as a result of his malpractice will be able to bring a suit to recover from the injury.
Our
Blogs
Oral surgeon exposes patients to HIV and hepatitis
Author
Jay W. Dankner
JAY W. DANKNER was born, raised and educated in Brooklyn, New York. After graduation from law school in 1973, he joined the firm of the legendary, Harry H, Lipsig, under whose tutelage he learned the intricacies of civil litigation and trials. He tried and won his first case against General Motors in a case involving a design defect within weeks after his admission. Thereafter, he focused his attention on the emerging and developing field of law known as products liability litigation.
Categories
Recent Post
Case Results
$10,000,000
Sexual assault of a child at a summer baseball camp
$8,300,000
Delay in treatment of peripheral vascular disease in a 52 year old woman resulting in loss of lower limb
