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Complications post-thyroid surgery lead to patient death, $1.3 million verdict

News: A patient undergoing thyroid surgery was accompanied to the hospital by her sister and daughter. After surgery, the patient began to struggle with her breathing. The patient’s sister and daughter observed the surgeon and nurses work on the patient for more than 30 minutes, during which time the patient’s condition deteriorated until the patient stopped breathing and lost her pulse, which led to permanent brain injury. The patient died 10 days later.

Failure to diagnose cauda equina syndrome results in $2.5 million verdict from jury

News: A 19-year-old woman sought treatment at a local hospital ED for severe lower back pain and pelvic numbness. A nurse practitioner quickly discharged her and attributed the symptoms to common back pain. The ED physician failed to consult with the patient, but subsequently approved the nurse’s actions. Two days later, the patient was diagnosed with cauda equine syndrome but had suffered serious and permanent injuries.

Impaired physicians have ethical obligation to self-report, experts say

Do physicians have diminished capacity as a result of substance abuse, burnout, behavioral or psychological issues, or physical illness? Regardless of the reason for impairment, physicians have an ethical obligation to protect their patients from harm.

Parents eager for newborn genomic testing; ethical questions currently unanswered

Parents have widespread interest in genome sequencing for newborns, regardless of their demographic background, according to a recent study led by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital. Researchers queried 514 parents within 48 hours of a child’s birth.¹

Voice ethical concerns — not just during consults, but organizationwide

Clinical ethicists can voice concerns not just during consults involving individual patients, but also more generally to address organizationwide issues.

Disruptive behavior isn’t always addressed, either in policy or practice

Disruptive behavior remains a common occurrence in health care; organizations may lack policies to identify, prevent, and address such behavior.

How bioethicists can encourage disclosure of medical errors

Despite patients’ growing expectations that medical errors and unexpected outcomes will be disclosed openly, the practice is infrequent.

Study: Residents uncomfortable with end-of-life conversations

Internal medicine residents remained uncomfortable with end-of-life care discussions even after receiving additional training, according to a recent study.

HHS targets opioid-drug related overdose, death

Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced an initiative aimed at reducing prescription opioid- and heroin-related overdose, death, and dependence.

System pays $10M to settle FCA allegations

Robinson Health System has agreed to pay $10 million to settle claims that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA), the Anti-Kickback Statute, and the Stark Statute by engaging in improper financial relationships with referring physicians, the Justice Department announced recently.