Miami Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Cruise Ship Doctor’s Error Leads To Amputation

When you go on a cruise, you expect to be able to relax and have a good time. Sure, you may have to figure out how to entertain the kids, but hey – the food and sun make up for that.

When we saw this recent story about a major medical mistake made on a cruise ship, we had to tell you about it because it highlights a classic case of what can go wrong when you least expect it.

Serbian waiter IIija Loncar was working on a cruise ship that was traveling down the US eastern coast. He was experiencing flu-like symptoms and went to see the ship’s physician.

What happened next changed the waiter’s life forever.

Instead of giving him something to ease his symptoms, which included nausea, the doctor gave him a very large dose of the antihistamine promethazine in his right arm. This immediately gave him a burning sensation. Within hours, his arm was turning black and blue. Gangrene set in and his tissue began to die.

It was too late to save Loncar’s arm. By the time he was able to get proper medical treatment after the ship docked in Florida, surgeons had to remove his arm.

In the aftermath, it was discovered:

• That the medication was not indicated for the symptoms presented.
• That the medication is supposed to be injected in the buttocks, not the arm.
• That the dose is given was unnecessarily large.
• That the FDA has administered warnings about the medication, saying that it tends to overwhelm the vascular walls and damage tissue.

The doctor who did this should have known all of these things. Instead, he changed Loncar’s life forever.

Medical Mistakes

In the US, medical errors are now the third leading cause of death, trailing only cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Think about that – mostly preventable mistakes are killing hundreds of thousands of people annually.

Common errors include:

• Medication errors – wrong medication, wrong dosage, not giving medications needed.
• Being misdiagnosed – doctors can fail to properly diagnose a patient.
• Infections – hospital-acquired infections are present in many fatal hospital incidents.
• Surgical errors – from operating on the wrong body part to leaving instruments inside of people, these are costly mistakes.

These are just a few ways in which healthcare professionals cause harm to patients. The last thing you expect when you seek medical attention is the person treating you to make your condition worse.

What You Can Do

If you need a medical malpractice lawyer in Miami, you can turn to the Dante Law Firm for help. Our experienced team will do everything we can to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. We want to make sure that you do not have to worry about finances if a medical professional’s negligence has caused you harm. Let us get to work for you so you can focus on healing and getting back to a normal life. You can contact us by calling (305) 949-2526 for a free consultation.