The Joint Commission’s review of "sentinel events" in hospitals works to understand why mistakes were made and how hospitals can avoid them in the future.
It is a common misconception that doctors lose their licenses when they settle malpractice claims with injured patients. The truth is doctors continue to practice, sometimes after settling many claims.
It is not uncommon for a patient who undergoes surgery or any invasive procedure to develop an infection. Although operating rooms are meant to provide a sterile field for a surgery, there are many ways in which a bacterial organism can invade the body through an opening.
Blood is naturally able to clot, and that’s a good thing. Otherwise, our cuts and scrapes wouldn’t stop bleeding, and our bruises would keep getting bigger and bigger. But sometimes it’s a very good idea to hinder this clotting process, particularly in people at an increased risk of developing clots that can break off and travel to the brain, lungs or heart.
