by Jim Lewis

Imagine having a kidney removed per your doctor’s instruction, only to find out the surgery and removal was unnecessary. That is what has happened to thousands of patients across the globe, including here in the U.S. According to a recent article in the Lancet, patients who suffer from tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) frequently have multiple tumors on their kidneys. Doctors unfamiliar with this genetic disorder see all the tumors and decide they need to operate, even though the kidney is functioning normally. After multiple surgeries, the kidney ends up having to be removed. At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Dr. John Bissler, runs the TSC clinic, and he encourages patients to come see him for a second opinion before agreeing to surgery for TSC. There may be other less-invasive ways of treating the disease.

Our Virginia medical malpractice lawyers know all too well the dangers of having surgery, from possible infections to nicked organs or arteries that can cause internal bleeding. Unless surgery is absolutely necessary, it is best to avoid it. Sometimes doctors do not always know best, and it is good to see a specialist to get a second opinion.

Our firm has written a report on the top five surgical errors, which can be ordered from our website. It also discusses how to decrease the chance of becoming a surgical error victim, the most obvious of which is to avoid unnecessary surgeries. We also provide informative answers to common questions relating to all types of medical malpractice.

About the Editors: The VA-NC medical malpractice attorneys at Shapiro, Lewis, Appleton & Favaloro include medical and surgical malpractice lawyers licensed in both Virginia and Carolina. Our attorneys have experience handling medical malpractice cases involving hospital and doctors’ mistakes, as well as nursing home abuse and neglect. Check out our case results to see our track record of success in medical malpractice lawsuits, and also be sure to read our free medical malpractice reports Top 10 Tips From a Medical Malpractice Insider and Top 5 Surgical Errors. Attorneys with our firm have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Attorneys with our personal injury law firm have also been named Virginia Super Lawyers since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of practicing attorneys receive.

MH