Second Mistaken Mastectomy in Ontario, Same Surgeon Involved
Windsor, ON: Just days after it was revealed that a Canadian surgeon
removed a patient's breast in error comes news that the same surgeon made a similar
mistake in 2001. Dr. Barbara Heartwell has voluntarily stopped performing surgery pending the results of a hospital probe at the Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor. [
Read More ]
Canadian Woman's Breast Removed in Error
Windsor, ON: It was an error of profound proportions: this past fall a woman underwent an
unnecessary mastectomy in Canada after the surgeon misread a biopsy report. Under the mistaken belief that the woman’s breast was cancerous, Dr. Barbara Heartwell went ahead and removed it in a surgical procedure. [
Read More ]
Illinois Revises Medical Malpractice Law
Springfield, IL: On February 4, 2010 the Illinois Supreme Court voted against the state's
medical malpractice law and decided that limits on damages awarded to victims of medical negligence are unconstitutional. Now, Illinois patients may have greater access to health care and lower medical liability rates. The state capped damages several years ago. [
Read More ]
Nationally, the same study estimated that each year over 180,000 people die in scenarios related at least in part to some form of medical malpractice. Public Citizen, the non-profit consumer advocacy organization, estimates that each year 1.3 million injuries are caused by professional negligence, and that more than two thirds of such injuries are preventable.
