Connecticut Medical Malpractice Attorney

What is a Medical Malpractice “Never Event”?

“Never Events” are shocking medical errors that are so unthinkable they should never occur; often they events have catastrophic consequences for the patient involved. The term “Never Event” was first introduced by Ken Kizer MD in 2001.  Since that time the list has been greatly expanded to include six categories of medical malpractice events:  surgical, product or device, patient protection, care management, environmental, and criminal.

Here are just a few examples of medical “never events”:

• A surgery performed on the wrong body part
• A patient receiving the wrong surgical procedure
• A surgical tool being left behind in a patient after surgery
• Patient death or serious disability associated with the use of contaminated drugs, devices, or biologics provided by the health care facility
• Patient death or serious disability associated with the use or function of a device in patient care, in which the device is used for functions other than as intended
• Patient death or serious disability associated with intravascular air embolism that occurs while being cared for in a health care facility
• Infant discharged to the wrong person
• Patient death or serious disability associated with patient disappearance
• Patient suicide, or attempted suicide resulting in serious disability, while being cared for in a health care facility
• Patient death or serious disability associated with a medication error (eg, errors involving the wrong drug, wrong dose, wrong patient, wrong time, wrong rate, wrong preparation, or wrong route of administration)
• Stage 3 or 4 pressure ulcers acquired after admission to a health care facility
• Patient death or serious disability due to spinal manipulative therapy
• Any incident in which a line designated for oxygen or other gas to be delivered to a patient contains the wrong gas or is contaminated by toxic substances
• Patient death or serious disability associated with a fall while being cared for in a health care facility
• Patient death or serious disability associated with the use of restraints or bedrails while being cared for in a health care facility
• Death or significant injury of a patient or staff member resulting from a physical assault (ie, battery) that occurs within or on the grounds of the health care facility

A number of studies have shown that “never events” can be eliminated, or at least minimized, by putting better procedures in place. Because “never events” are entirely preventable, they immediately qualify you to receive compensation for your injuries, or your loved one's injuries.

If you are ever the victim of a “never event”, call a qualified Connecticut medical malpractice lawyer from RisCassi & Davis, P.C. to ensure that your rights are protected. For more than 70 years, our firm has been working hard to protect our clients.