Medical Disasters: 8 Simple Tips Guaranteed To Save Your Life In The Operating Room

Imagine the electric thrill your doctor gets when as a patient you tell him, "Doctor, you're a life-saver!" And he was! He ordered the medicine that brought you out of congestive failure.

Now, imagine the bolt of lightning that sears your brain when you realize that the treatment your doctor ordered almost cost you your life. In teaching institutions and large corporative HMOs this happens more than they care to admit.

Here Are 2 Medical Disasters You Can Avoid If Follow My Tips & If You Ask the Right Questions:

Medical Disaster 1: A simple knee operation ending in amputation

D.W was a 63-year-old woman was in scorching pain with an arthritic right knee. So, she saw the new surgeon in town who seemed like a very nice, educable and competent surgeon.

The surgeon suggested a total knee replacement. "You'll be good as new!" he reassured her. Yet, the severe pain and swelling after the surgery still prohibited her from regaining normal range of motion.

After three months her knee was so stiff the surgeon performed a "manipulation under anesthesia" to break up scar tissue. It didn't work.

At six months post operative another surgeon told her, "Your surgeon is a very nice man, but he is brand new in practice and the prosthesis was not put in correctly." He recommended a revision. During the revision the patellar tendon ripped off the tibia, and the new surgeon reattached it with a bone screw. Later, the wound popped open and the screw head stuck out of the wound. The knee became infected. Now she is facing an amputation.

By asking these 4 questions, you can avoid this easily preventable medical disaster:

• How many operations of this nature have you performed?


• What can go wrong and what will you do to prevent it from happening?


• What other forms of treatment are there?


• Who would you go to, outside of your own office, if you needed this treatment?" Get a second opinion.

• Always ask, "Doctor, are you personally going to perform my surgery, and will you be there until the end of the operation?"


• Be aware that when you are in a teaching institution, someone is going to be learning on you.


• Actively engaged yourself in your care. Be questioning, not confrontational. Ask what medicines you are being given and know your allergies.


• Ask, "Doctor, have you practiced in other cities before coming here?" A doctor that moves a lot is a "red flag."

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