Medical Mistakes In Connecticut

The Connecticut Department of Public Health has released its 2012 report of hospital malpractice “adverse events” and medical errors at Connecticut health care facilities, as reported to the State by hospitals, nursing homes, and surgery centers. Generally, adverse events are patient deaths and serious injuries caused by preventable medical errors.

During 2011, Connecticut health care facilities reported 271 adverse events. These included:

1. 13 cases of surgery performed on the wrong body part
2. 20 cases where a foreign object was retained in a patient following surgery
3. 49 bowel perforations, or other perforations, during laparoscopic surgery or open surgery resulting in death or serious injury
4. 21 other deaths or serious injuries during surgery
5. 96 reported deaths or serious injuries caused by falls in healthcare facilities, hospitals or nursing homes
6. 39 stage 3 or stage 4 pressure ulcers or “bedsores”
7. Five so-called “hospital infections,” typically caused by drug-resistant bacteria or viruses that have bred or evolved in inpatient facilities
8. Three medication errors-wrong drug, wrong dosage, wrong patient, wrong route of administration, wrong time, wrong rate, wrong preparation of a medicine or drug
9. Eight assaults on patients, four of which were sexual assaults
10. Two obstetrical errors

Overall, 2011 showed the highest total for medical error reporting over the last seven years, with a total of 271 adverse events reported. The “National Quality Forum” has defined a list of “Never Events” that should not occur in health care facilities and requires that death or serious injury caused by any of these events be reported. The Department of Public Health’s Report can be viewed online by following this link: Legislative Report To The General Assembly – Adverse Event Reporting

If you or a loved one has been injured at a health care facility or harmed by an adverse event in a hospital, nursing home or surgery center, contact us for a free case evaluation with one of our experienced medical malpractice attorneys.