Doctor sued for removing woman's healthy kidney

New York readers know that all surgeries come with risks. Unfortunately, one of those risks can be the surgeon who performs the procedure. For example, an Iowa woman has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against a South Dakota doctor for allegedly removing a healthy kidney during a botched surgery.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff was scheduled to have a mass removed from her adrenal gland at Avera McKennan Hospital on Oct. 5, 2016. However, after the procedure, the facility's pathology department told the surgeon that he had wrongly removed her kidney instead of the mass. The lawsuit further contends that the surgeon falsely told the plaintiff he hadn't yet heard from the pathology department when she contacted him two days later. On Oct. 11, the surgeon finally contacted her to say he had not been able to remove "everything" and she would need to undergo a second surgery. The second surgery was performed at the Mayo Clinic.

The lawsuit alleges that the botched procedure has caused the plaintiff to lose some functions. It further claims that the surgery caused her to suffer from pain, depression, fatigue and mental distress.

Wrong-site surgery and other surgical errors can cause patients to suffer a worsened medical condition, mental anguish and even death. In such cases, it may be advisable for patients to file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor who harmed them. An attorney could review a patient's case to determine if the doctor failed to provide the standard of care. If so, a patient could be awarded a financial settlement that covers current and future medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering. If a family loses a loved one to a medical error, they could also pursue a legal claim.