Attorney Julia Arfaa
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Undergoing surgery can be a scary experience. Patients expect to receive competent care from their surgeons and assisting nurses but, sadly, this does not always happen. If you have suffered an injury because of what you believe to be a surgeon’s error or negligence, it is important to understand your rights. At Arfaa Law Group, our Baltimore surgery malpractice attorneys will examine the circumstances surrounding your injury and advise you accordingly. You can take comfort in knowing that we will handle your case diligently and compassionately.

The Study

Medical mistakes cause between 250,000- 440,000 deaths every year in the U.S., with a number of those mistakes taking place in the operating room. A recently published study conducted by Columbia University highlights that in moments of high stress in the operating room (OR), surgeons make up to 66 percent more errors on patients. Utilizing technology that measured the electrical activity of a surgeon’s heart, researchers discovered that during periods of short-term stress such as those caused by a bad thought or loud noise in the OR, surgeons are more likely make errors that can lead to bleeding, torn tissue or burns. The results could help develop future protocol designed to reduce acute short-term stress on surgeons while they are performing procedures.

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Unfortunately, medical mistakes are routinely the cause of injury to patients in Maryland. If you or a family member has suffered undue harm because of medical negligence, our highly skilled Baltimore medical malpractice attorneys can help. At Arfaa Law Group, we will investigate your case and come up with a legal strategy accordingly.

The Case

In Armacost v. Davis, the plaintiff went to see a neurosurgeon after years of neck and shoulder pain, as well as numbness in his right hand. After discussing various options, the plaintiff agreed to undergo four-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery. After the surgery, the plaintiff initially recovered well but then had to go to the emergency room a number of times due to a pinpoint opening at the end of his incision and, later, due to chest pain and periodic numbness in his left arm. Later, the pinpoint opening became an abscess and tested positive for a bacterial infection.

The plaintiff filed a medical malpractice claim against the neurosurgeon, claiming the procedure he underwent was not medically required and was inappropriate for someone of his age with his medical history. In addition, the plaintiff claimed that the defendant and the hospital took too long to diagnose and treat the post-operative infection. The defendant, on the other hand, argued that the diagnosis and treatment provided adhered to the appropriate standard of care.

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Obtaining the correct diagnosis is vital to getting the right treatment for your health condition. If you have suffered due to a missed diagnosis or delayed diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, you may be entitled to compensation for any harm that you suffered. At Arfaa Law Group, our diligent Baltimore medical malpractice attorneys are devoted to providing you with the legal assistance you need in order to move on with your life.

Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s disease is a form of inflammatory bowel disease that involves ongoing, chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The condition affects the entire digestive tract and can be both painful and debilitating. Currently, there is no known cure for Crohn’s disease but treatment is administered in an effort to alleviate symptoms. Treatment can also potentially prevent a person from having to undergo surgery.

A few years ago, a Baltimore jury awarded a patient millions of dollars when doctors misdiagnosed an ulcer, prompting more than a dozen unnecessary surgeries that led to the patient’s Crohn’s disease flaring up. According to the complaint, physicians were negligent in failing to diagnose the patient’s symptoms as an exacerbation of Crohn’s without considering any other conditions that could have been at play.

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Anesthesiologists are vital to ensuring that surgery is safe. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to an anesthesiologist’s error, you could have a claim for medical malpractice against the anesthesiologist. At Arfaa Law Group, our Baltimore medical malpractice attorneys will make every effort to get you the monetary damages you rightfully deserve.

A divided Florida Supreme Court recently ruled against an anesthesiologist in a medical malpractice claim that involved a female who lost her life while undergoing surgery for a tumor in her skull. In a 4-3 decision, the court overturned an earlier verdict for the anesthesiologist who performed a pre-anesthesia evaluation of the patient. According to the complaint filed by the patient’s husband, the anesthesiologist allegedly failed to order a second electrocardiogram after the first one highlighted irregular results and failed to report these irregular lab results to the surgeon. The Supreme Court rejected the lower court’s rationale that let the anesthesiologist off the hook because he was not the “primary cause” of the patient’s death. Rather, the Supreme Court noted that a doctor can be the proximate cause of a patient’s harm even if he or she is not the primary cause of that harm. While this is a Florida case, causation is an important element of all Maryland malpractice cases as well.

Anesthesiologist Errors Leading to Malpractice

According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists, anesthesiologists are committed to the “relief of pain and total care of the surgical patient before, during and after surgery.” Part of an anesthesiologist’s job is to make sure patients undergoing surgery do not feel pain during the operation. This involves evaluating a patient before surgery to make sure the amount and type of anesthetic being administered is safe for the patient.

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People who suffer from chronic pain face very real day-to-day challenges that are often dismissed by medical professionals simply because the symptoms cannot be seen. If you have suffered a diagnosis error related to fibromyalgia, you need a compassionate and understanding Baltimore medical malpractice attorney on your side. At Arfaa Law Group, we understand the impact that chronic pain can have on every aspect of your life and how negligent medical professionals can make that pain worse.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a condition that triggers pain all over the body, sleep issues, tiredness and often emotional and mental distress. Sadly, it is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed medical conditions. According to one study by the National Institute of Health, misdiagnosis of fibromyalgia for another musculoskeletal disorder occurred in approximately 13.3 percent of the patients who were included in the study population. Another report indicates that as many as 2/3 of people are told they have fibromyalgia when they are actually suffering from another medical issue.

Individuals who have fibromyalgia are more sensitive to pain, fatigue and muscle stiffness than people who do not have the condition. In some cases, symptoms start after a physical trauma or significant event (i.e., psychological stress, surgery, infection, etc.) while, in other cases, symptoms gradually accumulate over time with no specific triggering event. Many people with this disease are unable to work and lead normal lives due to the pain. While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, there are several treatment options such as pain management and medications that can improve a patient’s quality of life.

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Whenever anyone undergoes surgery, there are risks. In these nerve-wracking situations, we trust our physicians to provide competent care. If you or your loved one has been injured due to a surgeon’s error, you need to contact a reputable Baltimore surgery malpractice attorney. At Arfaa Law Group, we will meticulously examine the merits of your claim and create a personalized legal strategy accordingly. Our team is committed to fighting for the rights of each and every client, and you should note that we proudly serve clients throughout Maryland.

Recently, a woman claimed that she needed additional surgery due to the negligence of a Chicago doctor who performed reconstructive surgery on her after a mastectomy. The woman filed a lawsuit against her doctor as well as against the hospital where the procedure took place. According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through a mastectomy. A few months later, she went through reconstructive surgery, after which an implant rotated necessitating further surgery. While this case took place in Illinois, sadly, these types of injuries are all too common in Maryland as well. 

Surgery Malpractice in Maryland

All surgeons owe their patients a certain level of care. When this level of care is not adhered to, the consequences can be devastating, long lasting and even permanent for a patient and his or her family. In order to prevail in a medical malpractice case, you must establish that the standard of care was not followed and that the deviation from the standard of care was a direct cause of patient harm. The standard of care refers to the level of care and caution that a reasonably competent medical professional in the same specialty would have used under the same or similar circumstances.

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Imagine going in for back surgery but leaving the hospital without a kidney. Unfortunately, this is what happened to one woman and, sadly, represents the life-changing magnitude of medical errors that patients sometimes have to deal with. If you have been hurt due to a surgeon’s negligence, our experienced Baltimore medical malpractice attorneys can help you hold the at-fault medical professional accountable. With years of experience, we will help protect your rights and aim to get you the compensation you deserve.

A surgeon from Florida took out a woman’s healthy kidney when she was undergoing back surgery in 2016 because he mistakenly believed that the kidney was a cancerous tumor. The woman had been suffered back pain following a car accident and was slated to go through anterior lumbar interbody fusion surgery, in which troublesome vertebrae in a person’s spine are fused together into a single larger bone. During the procedure, the physician noticed a pelvic mass and made a presumptive diagnosis of cancer and decided to remove the mass entirely. It turned out the mass was not a cancerous tumor at all, but the woman’s kidney. The woman filed a lawsuit against the surgeon, which was recently settled. The terms of the settlement agreement were not disclosed.

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Orthopedic malpractice often takes place during surgery but it can also happen before or after the procedure. If you have suffered an injury and you believe it was caused by an orthopedic surgeon’s negligence, our experienced Baltimore medical malpractice attorneys can help. At Arfaa Law Group, we are dedicated to helping you obtain compensation for the hardships you and your family may have suffered.

Sharrif Floyd, a former football player for the Minnesota Vikings, filed a $180 million malpractice claim against his former orthopedic surgeon, the orthopedic surgery center and others involved in his treatment. According to the complaint, Floyd went in for what he was told would be a routine operation that would be require three to four weeks of recovery. However, once the surgeon began to operate, he determined that Floyd needed microfracture surgery that required them to drill into the bone, which purportedly led to bleeding and necessitated a post-operation pain blocker. The pain-block allegedly impacted the procedure and paralyzed a nerve and the surrounding muscle in the right leg. Ultimately, the surgery ended Floyd’s football career.

Orthopedic Malpractice

Orthopedic surgeons diagnose, treat and rehabilitate patients who are experiencing disease or injury of the musculoskeletal system. This complex system, which includes your bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves, permits a person to move, work and be active. When an orthopedic surgeon’s make a mistake, they can exacerbate existing medical conditions and even create new problems for patients. If this has happened to you or someone close to you, you may be able to sue for medical malpractice.

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When you seek medical attention, the last thing you want to worry about is the possibility of your doctor making a mistake that could make your health worse. If you or a loved one has been hurt because of a healthcare provider’s negligence, our seasoned Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers can help. At Arfaa Law Group, we have the time and resources to help build a strong case on your behalf. Our firm has handled numerous medical malpractice claims throughout Maryland and our commitment to protecting the rights of our clients is unwavering.

A Louisiana doctor surrendered his medical license after he allegedly removed a healthy kidney during what was supposed to be colon surgery. He then relocated to California and continued to practice medicine. There, he reportedly erroneously removed a woman’s fallopian tube. When faced with state sanctions, the doctor once again surrendered his license. In New York, regulators were attempting to act based on the doctor’s California issues so he agreed to surrender his license there as well. In fact, the doctor ultimately agreed to be permanently barred from practicing in New York. Despite having to give up his medical license in three states, he now practices in Ohio, working at an urgent care clinic where his medical record is clean.

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When you visit the doctor, you trust that you will get proper care. Sadly, every year a number of people in Maryland and throughout the US are injured because of medical negligence. In the most serious of cases, medical professionals make fatal mistakes that kill patients and leave behind loved ones who are completely devastated. If you were hurt or lost a loved one and you believe it was because of medical malpractice, let our experienced Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers help. At Arfaa Law Group, we understand the nuances of medical malpractice law – including the strict procedural requirements that must be met in order to file and proceed with your claim.

The Kentucky Supreme Court recently struck down a law requiring a team of physicians to assess medical malpractice claims before they go to court. Specifically, the law used to give the team of physicians nine months to evaluate a medical malpractice lawsuit and then provide an opinion about whether the claim had merit. That opinion could later be used as evidence at trial. The court held that the law violated the section 14 of the state’s constitution, which states that every individual has access to the justice system without delay. In addition, the court noted that the law went against the constitutional prohibition against special legislation as it was created to benefit medical professionals and no such special protection exists for any other type of tort defendant.

Maryland “Certificate of Merit” Requirement

While Kentucky may no longer require a plaintiff’s case to be reviewed before filing in court, Maryland law still does. Maryland law mandates that a medical doctor sign off on a medical malpractice lawsuit. In fact, within 90 days of filing a medical malpractice lawsuit, a Maryland plaintiff is required to file a certificate of merit from a qualified medical expert or a licensed or certified professional.

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