Question Hello, My 1 1/2 yr old daughter had surgery to remove a ganglion cyst on April 17, 2009. On April 1st, I phoned her surgeon to inform him that I was concerned that the incision site was infected. He assured me the redness was normal and requested that I bring her in the following Thursday for a check up. On April 23, the doctor saw her and assured me her hand was fine and healing as it should. I voiced my concern that her hand appeared to be swelling and she was increasingly fussing about her hand. I called the doctor two or three more times to inform him that i was very concerned about her hand and that it seemed as though fluid or puss was forming under the skin. He again assured me all was well and I had nothing to worry about. On May 2nd, I decided to take my daughter to the emergency room. She was very fussy and I could clearly see a green substance under the skin. In the ER, they lanced the site and cleaned out the infection. They did take cultures and send them to the surgeon. At this point, they she was given Clindamycin (no Bactrim as she had previous Sulfa allergic reaction). I saw the surgeon the following Tuesday, May 5th. His exact words were "she has a simple staph infection." He ordered me to continue her on the Clindamycian treatment and to see him in a week. For obvious reasons, I was not comfortable with his report and took her to see her regular pediatrician for observation. Her pediatrician monitored her hand every other day for the following week. She finished the medical on May 8th. By May 10th, she bagan complaining about her hand again. By May 12th, I could tell something was wrong again. I took her back to see the surgeon. He glanced at her hand and told me everything was fine. At this point, I refused to leave his office. I told him I would not leave until he sat down, took his time, and took a good look at her hand. I explained that she was not complaining about her hand at all while taking the Clindamycin, but days after completing the treatment, began complaining again. He began applying pressure to her hand around the incision site. As he continued on, puss began to leak from the site. At this point, he turned to his Nurse Assistant and asked "the report from ER stated staph infection, correct? There weren't any other findings?" The Nurse responded "No, the culture tested positive for MRSA". AT this point, the doctor asked me to hold on and stated he needed to make a few phone calls. He rushed out of the room and I was asked to wait in the hallway with my daughter. My daughter was rushed back into surgery and admitted for 5-day treatment of Vancomycin. This doctor has admitted to me this was his fault. He had the audacity to state that he should have been more responsible. My frustration is most because of what my daughter had to endure and because I tried numerous times to bring this to his attention. I feel his arrogance has caused my daughter 2 unnecessary surgeries and he put her life at risk as well. I am not looking for much but I missed almost 2 months of work without pay, have a lot of medical bills, and my daughter has since changed. Once very friendly, she is not very hesitant to talk or play with other people...even family members. She is young, and I am sure with time she will be herself, but this was all avoidable. There are many other details but I hope this is enough for now. Please let me know if I have a medical malpractice lawsuit? Thank you.
Answer I have worked for lawyers who have a bust of an angry man on their desks. The caption on the base is: "Sue the Bastards". So do that. This man needs to be sued.
I hope you have kept copies of any records you got from the ER and your pediatrician. I hope too that you have kept bills and receipts. Two months lost wages is enough for a lawyer to sue for. But more important, the threat of future staphylococcus infections is present no matter what the treatment has been. Staphylococcus aureus infections are sneaky and can return. You should see a lawyer NOW. He has probably 18 years ro work the case, but ask him not to delay. You need to bring that quack up to court right away. And you need to establish that your daughter is at risk.
Your lawyer should have your daughter tested by a pediatric psychologist now and perhaps after three or four years. Her behavior is worrisome. The trial may be delayed that long in these days of heavy court dockets. Then ask your pediatrician to run blood cultures for several months. She can use her judgment about how often. MRSA is a tough infection to handle. If your pediatrician suggests a specialist, go for it. Do all this regardless of what happens with the law suit. But try to get your lawyer into it too. He may not understand the threat produced by that jerk.
Not only were you and your daughter mistreated by that pompous doctor, but put at great risk. You may think I am being harsh about that doctor, but I am sure he has treated others as poorly. The man has problems that he shoulod not visit upon his patients.
