Man Sues After Waking During Cataract Surgery
A Mississippi man has brought a lawsuit against hospital after he allegedly woke up during cataract surgery.
Hector Alonso filed his medical malpractice lawsuit against Tulane University Medical Center. He says that he underwent cataract surgery on his right eye, but woke up in the middle of the procedure, reports CBS Houston.
He asked the doctors to stop the procedure as he alerted them of his conscious state. However, instead of accommodating the patient and halting the procedure, Alonso accuses the hospital of essentially torturing him and costing him vision in that eye.
After alerting the doctors, Alonso claims that a doctor quieted him down by putting tape over his mouth. He says he was then physically held down and even swallowed a tooth that was knocked out during the struggle, reports CBS.
To win his medical malpractice claim, Alonso will likely have to show that the hospital was negligent in treating him by engaging in care that falls below generally accepted standards of medical care.
Alonso may have to prove that hospitals have the general duty of care to ensure that a surgery patient will not wake up in the middle of a procedure. Furthermore, a hospital would also be expected to not restrain (or allegedly “torture”) a patient who has unfortunately woken up during eye surgery.
The eye cataract patient is seeking damages for both his lost vision in his right eye as well as mental and physical suffering from the alleged treatment during the surgery. It was not reported how much money the patient is seeking.
If you have been injured by the acts of a doctor or hospital, you should contact an attorney experienced in medical malpractice. An experienced attorney can help review your claim, quantify the amount of your damages, and help ensure that your rights are represented.
Related Resources:
- Man Claims Torture: Woke Up During Eye Surgery (The Inquisitr)
- Preventable Mistakes Still Happen in Surgery (FindLaw’s Injured)
- Medical Malpractice (FindLaw)