Latest news with #misdiagnosis
CTV News
20 hours ago
- Health
- CTV News
‘Absolutely unimaginable': N.S woman says she was falsely diagnosed with cancer
Gabriella Patey says she and her family are traumatized after she was falsely diagnosed with cancer by a Halifax hospital. The 31-year-old claims it all started on May 17, when she says she had just finished celebrating after her doctor informed her that results from the IWK, a women's health centre, showed a tumour in her breast was 'completely benign.' 'We celebrated as my mother had just died of the same cancer a year-and-a-half prior. So, it was a huge relief,' says Patey. But the celebration was short-lived, as Patey says she received a shocking call from her doctor less than a month later. 'I get a call from my primary care physician that the IWK had made a mistake, and I actually did have metastatic carcinoma, which is a very grim diagnosis,' says Patey. Just as quickly as she got that call, Patey says she went into 'survival mode' and began making calls of her own. 'I told my friends, my family, my work,' says Patey. 'I put claims in through my bank so my bills would be taken care of. And I got my primary physician that put my name on the list for medically assisted dying. 'My number one priority was to make sure my husband was taken care of. And making sure he didn't have to watch me suffer, like I had to watch my mother suffer,' she says. But things took a turn when Patey says she received another phone call from her doctor last Friday. She says her doctor informed her there had been a mix up at the IWK and that she did not have cancer. Patey says she received a second opinion on Monday, with her doctor confirming she was indeed cancer free. 'This morning, I received a phone call from my primary care physician, the director of pathology at the IWK did a full investigation. She actually went and looked through all the slides and all the reporting herself and determined that my file had been mixed up with someone else's. So now my thought is (that) there's this poor woman that's walking around that was given hope that she didn't have breast cancer. And she does. And she has one of the most aggressive breast cancer out there,' says Patey. Andrea Slaney, a spokesperson for the IWK, told CTV News Atlantic in an email Monday that, 'due to patient privacy, IWK Health is unable to comment on specific cases. However, concerns of this nature are taken seriously and a formal investigation process is followed with engagement from IWK's Quality, Patient Safety and Patient Experience team.' Patey says she does not know what to believe and her faith in the province's health-care system is lost. 'We haven't been able to sleep. We've been crying ourselves to sleep every night. And now I have to go to my work, my family, and say, 'Actually, I don't have this terminal diagnosis.'' And the shame that I feel for having to do that, even though it's not my fault,' says Patey. 'Our health-care system is broken. We know that it's been broken for some time, but it seems like if something like this can happen, are we broken beyond repair?' Patey says throughout this process, she was never once contacted by the IWK directly. She says she intends on taking legal action. 'I'm a person, I'm a human being. I'm not a number in a computer system and to not even call and say, 'We are so sorry for what has happened here.' It's just absolutely unimaginable to me,' says Patey. Gabriella Patey Gabriella Patey says she was falsely diagnosed with cancer. (Source: Vanessa Wright/CTV News Atlantic) For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Irish Times
5 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
‘Why are there all these mistakes?' Woman laments loss of daughter and unborn grandson as hospital apologises
Tipperary University Hospital has apologised to the family of a woman for shortcomings in care which led to her death and that of her unborn baby. Caroline Kavanagh was 22 weeks pregnant with her second child when she first presented at the Clonmel hospital's emergency department with chest pain. Dr John O'Mahony SC, for Ms Kavanagh's family, told the High Court the 37-year-old was misdiagnosed and her heart attack symptoms were not identified or addressed before she was discharged home. In what counsel described as a 'heartbreaking and extremely sad case', Ms Kavanagh was found unresponsive five days later in bed at her home in Kilmallock, Co Limerick and was later pronounced dead. READ MORE 'Her mother came to her home and found her daughter motionless in bed. Caroline had died and the baby she was carrying died with his mother,' counsel said. Dr O'Mahony, instructed by Ciaran O'Keeffe solicitor, said there was unfortunately a misdiagnosis at the hospital. He said there was a mistaken belief that an elevated level of the protein Troponin in the blood was due to pregnancy when it can also point to cardiovascular issues. Margaret Kavanagh holds a Mass card for her daughter Caroline and unborn grandson TJ outside the High Court in Dublin. Photograph: Collins Courts The letter of apology was read in court as Ms Kavnagh's mother Margaret Kavanagh, of Cashel, Co Tipperary, settled a High Court action against the HSE over her daughter's death on February 11th, 2015. In the letter, interim hospital manager Ailish Delaney expressed 'our profound sympathy and condolences to you on the loss of your daughter Caroline and her unborn child'. It added: 'The management and staff of the hospital apologise sincerely for the shortcomings in the care which was provided to Caroline and which led to her tragic death. The hospital wishes to acknowledge the heartache and distress suffered by her family because of her premature passing and to express our sincere sympathy and regret.' A breach of duty was admitted by the HSE in the case. Noting the settlement, and the division of the statutory €35,000 mental distress payment, Mr Justice Paul Coffey extended his deepest sympathy to the family. At the time of her death, Ms Kavanagh's daughter Megan was just nine-months-old. Speaking outside the court, Margaret Kavanagh said it had taken the family 10 years to get justice for Caroline, but the apology would not bring back her daughter or her unborn baby. 'While we acknowledge the apology from the HSE, as a family we believe that if the past mistakes that were made had had been corrected we would not be here today,' she said. She said Caroline was very much looking forward to the birth of her second child, to be named Thomas James (TJ) and was 'a great mother, daughter, sister and just a great person'. 'Why are there all these mistakes? We are in the 21st century and we seem to be going backwards,' Mrs Kavanagh added, clutching a picture of her daughter worn in a pendant around her neck. She said she dhe hoped no family would in future have to go through 'the pain and loss we have experienced in the last 10 years'. In the proceedings it was claimed a correct diagnosis of acute heart attack was not made and Caroline Kavanagh was not offered appropriate cardiac care to significantly improve her chances of survival when she attended the hospital on February 6th, 2015. She died of complications of heart attack on February 11th, 2015. It was claimed substandard care was provided and she did not have an echocardiogram. She was started on cardioprotective medication on admission to hospital but these were stopped on discharge.
BreakingNews.ie
5 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Hospital apologises for shortcomings in care which led to death of woman and her unborn baby
Tipperary University Hospital has apologised to the family of a young mother for the shortcomings in care which led to her death and that of her unborn baby. Caroline Kavanagh was 22 weeks pregnant with her second child, a baby boy, when she first presented at the Clonmel hospital's emergency department with chest pain. Advertisement The family's counsel, Dr John O'Mahony SC, told the High Court the 37-year old woman was misdiagnosed and her heart attack symptoms were not identified or addressed and she was discharged home. Dr O'Mahony said it was a 'heartbreaking and extremely sad case' where the young mother five days later was found unresponsive in bed at her Kilmallock, Co Limerick, home and later pronounced dead. 'Her mother came to her home and found her daughter motionless in bed. Caroline had died and the baby she was carrying died with his mother,' Dr O'Mahony told the court. Outside the High Court, Caroline Kavanagh's family said it had been a ten year long battle for justice and even though they now had the long awaited apology from the HSE and hospital it will not bring back Caroline or the unborn baby boy who was to be known as TJ. Advertisement Dr O'Mahony, instructed by solicitor Ciaran O'Keeffe, said at the hospital there was a misdiagnosis and a mistaken belief that an elevated level of the protein Troponin in the blood was due to pregnancy when in reality it can point to cardiovascular issues. The letter of apology was read to the court as Caroline's 74-year-old mother, Margaret Kavanagh, of Cashel, Co Tipperary, settled a High Court action against the HSE over her daughter's death on February 11th, 2015. The letter from the interim hospital manager, Ailish Delaney, expressed 'profound sympathy and condolences' to Mrs Kavanagh on the loss of Caroline and her unborn child. It added: 'The management and staff of the hospital apologise sincerely for the shortcomings in the care which was provided to Caroline and which led to her tragic death. The hospital wishes to acknowledge the heartache and distress suffered by her family because of her premature passing and to express our sincere sympathy and regret.' Advertisement A breach of duty was admitted by the HSE in the case. At the time of her death, Ms Kavanagh's daughter, Megan, was only nine months old. Outside court, Margaret Kavanagh said it had taken the family 10 years to get justice for Caroline. 'While we acknowledge the apology from the HSE, as a family we believe that if the past mistakes that were made had had been corrected we would not be here today.' Advertisement She said even though the family now has the apology, it will not bring back Caroline or the unborn baby who was going to be called Thomas James or TJ. She said Caroline had been so looking forward to the birth of her second child. 'She was a great mother, daughter, sister and just a great person,' she said. Clutching a picture of her daughter she wears in a pendant around her neck, Mrs Kavanagh said while the family had now got justice, it had taken so long. Advertisement 'Why are there all these mistakes? We are in the 21st Century and we seem to be going backwards,' she said. Mrs Kavanagh, who was accompanied to court by Caroline's sister Claire, said she hoped that no family in the future will have to go through 'the pain and loss we have experienced in the last 10 years.' World Nine hurt as turbulence forces Ryanair plane into... Read More In the proceedings, it was claimed that the correct diagnosis of acute heart attack was not made and Caroline Kavanagh was not offered appropriate cardiac care to significantly improve her chances of survival when she attended the hospital on February 6th, 2015. She ultimately died of the complications of heart attack on February 11th, 2015. It was claimed substandard care had been provided to Ms Kavanagh and she did not have an echocardiogram. She had been started on cardioprotective medication on admission to hospital but these were stopped on discharge. Noting the settlement and the division of the statutory €35,000 mental distress payment, Mr Justice Paul Coffey extended his deepest sympathy to the Kavanagh family.
Fox News
21-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Texas doctor sentenced to 10 years in prison in one of the ‘most significant' cases of patient harm
A Texas-based doctor was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for healthcare fraud after he carried out what prosecutors said was a nearly two-decade scheme that involved falsely diagnosing thousands of patients with degenerative diseases and profiting handsomely off their treatments. Jorge Zamora-Quezada, a rheumatologist licensed to practice medicine in Texas, Arizona and Massachusetts before being stripped of his licenses in each state, raked in hundreds of millions of dollars for the misdiagnoses and treatment he ordered during his roughly 20 years as a medical practitioner. The treatments included punishing rounds of chemotherapy, intravenous infusions, and a battery of other tests, monthly visits, and regular procedures associated with the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic, autoimmune condition for which there is no cure. The sentencing, and his earlier court appearances, played out at times like a study in contrasts. Prosecutors detailed his extravagant lifestyle, including a private jet, 13 properties across the U.S., including in Aspen and various towns in Mexico, and a Maserati – while the health of the patients he defrauded continued to worsen. Prosecutors accused him of taking advantage of vulnerable individuals in Texas, such as teenagers, elderly individuals, and disabled persons, in order to carry out the scheme. Some of them testified at Wednesday's hearing about the ongoing side effects they suffered as a result of the doctor's actions, including receiving chemotherapy or IV infusions they did not need. It's "one of the most egregious" cases of its kind the Justice Department has brought in this space, Matthew Galeotti, head of the Justice Department Criminal Division, told Fox News Digital in a sit-down interview on Wednesday. That's because of "all of the various kinds of misconduct rolled into one," he said, "and because it was pervasive – the scheme lasted more than 18 years." "By the time you're towards the end of the scheme, he knows the consequences some of these things have had on the victims, and he's going forward anyways," he said of the doctor. The Justice Department's Criminal Division has been prosecuting this case for years. Unlike other departments, it is one of the few where career and political staff alike are largely in lockstep, with goals and cases that transcend partisan politics and seek instead to hold criminals like the Texas doctor accountable. Galeotti said he sees the case as emblematic of the Trump administration's goals to vindicate victims and counter wasteful government spending. "Even in cases where you don't see this level of misconduct, where you're not prescribing someone chemotherapy medicine that doesn't need it, which obviously sort of stands out on its own, we still have a problem because you were wasting government funds that should be going to actually benefiting patients," Galeotti said. A separate Justice Department official told Fox News Digital Zamora-Quezada's case was one of the "most significant" instances of patient harm that he had seen in at least a decade. "There was testimony about truly debilitating side effects from the medications, things like strokes, necrosis of the jawbone, really the jawbone melting away, hair loss, liver damage," the official said. The doctor's actions were seen as particularly egregious, in the Justice Department's telling, because they sought to prey on lower-income communities in Texas, targeting teenagers, elderly persons, and disabled individuals. The doctor also operated in areas with less access to medical care and with fewer native English speakers compared to other parts of the state. "Of course, it's always the most twisted when you're benefiting from someone else's misfortune – misfortune you caused – and misfortune you used for your own personal enrichment," Galeotti said. "They're the hallmarks of the worst kind of conduct that you see," Galeotti said. Zamora-Quezada was convicted by a jury in 2020 of seven counts of healthcare fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, and one count of obstruction of justice. His attorneys argued that the fraud was not "pervasive" in the way the government made it out to be, according to public court filings. Prosecutors said Zamora-Quezada purchased condominium properties in vacation towns, including in Aspen, San Diego, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. They said he commuted to his various doctors' offices in Texas in a Maserati and a private jet, both emblazoned with his initials, "ZQ." His assets were forfeited after he was charged, prosecutors said. Meanwhile, they said, while Zamora-Quezada was living a life of luxury, out of nearly 100,000 Medicare patients he treated, Zamora-Quezada diagnosed 72.9% of them with rheumatoid arthritis. Prosecutors compared that data to seven other Texas rheumatologists, who cumulatively diagnosed 13% of their patients with the same condition. Prosecutors asked for $100 million in restitution, but the judge required him to pay $28 million. Attorneys for Zamora-Quezada did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Telegraph
14-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Grieving family sues over physician associate's misdiagnosis ‘to honour their daughter'
The grieving parents of a woman who was misdiagnosed by a physician associate hope a legal challenge they are bringing will honour her. Emily Chesterton, 30, died in November 2022 after twice being misdiagnosed by a physician associate (PA) whom she believed was a GP. Her parents, Marion and Brendon Chesterton, are bringing legal action against the General Medical Council (GMC), with Anaesthetists United, saying that PAs, and anaesthesia associates (AAs) should be properly regulated. Supported by the British Medical Association (BMA), the Chestertons say the GMC has failed in its statutory duty and there has been a blurring of lines between doctors and non-doctors. They are bringing the claim with Anaesthetists United, and say the GMC should produce a scope of practice – a document outlining the activities someone is permitted to perform – so patient safety is assured, and people can have certainty about what is expected from each of the roles. Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice, Marion Chesterton said: 'To lose a child is so painful, it is not the right order of this world. 'However, to lose a child and then discover it was avoidable is the worst pain ever. 'We do not want anyone else going through the torture we have endured. Physician associates and anaesthesia associates must be regulated thoroughly, they must be properly supervised.' Mrs Chesterton told the PA news agency: 'We're here to honour our daughter to make sure that this doesn't happen to any other family. No more Emilys. 'We're here to ask the GMC to do their job and regulate, it's been assigned to them by Parliament, so they've got to do the job. 'If I didn't do this. I'd just lie down in a ditch somewhere and let the world pass me by. I've had to do it because I was so angry. 'When I found out that PAs weren't regulated I was absolutely devastated, I thought 'this, this is wrong'.' PAs and AAs are neither doctors nor medically qualified, but they are recognised as providing support to doctors and anaesthetists as a part of a multidisciplinary team. At the start of the hearing on Wednesday, Mrs Justice Lambert said: 'This case is not just about regulation of assistants, it is about regulation of the medical profession, and that is how I see it.' Thomas De La Mare KC, representing the Chestertons and Anaesthetists United, told the court: 'At its heart, this case is critically about risk and about the regulation response to risk.' In written submissions, he said the GMC is 'failing to fulfil its regulatory role on an ongoing basis and this court should find that that is unlawful'. 'Fundamentally flawed' Mr De La Mare also said the GMC had failed to produce guidance or set standards either for the doctors supervising associates, or for the associates themselves. It has further failed to 'gather sufficient information to address the question of how it should regulate associates, then lawfully address and answer that question', the court was told. Mr De La Mare added: 'The GMC's foundational premise, never consulted upon, that the system for regulating doctors would be appropriate for regulating associates, was and is fundamentally flawed.' In written submissions, Rory Dunlop KC, for the GMC, said the argument for a defined scope of practice raises the question of whether it would be in the public interest to impose such 'rigid' limits on PAs and AAs. Saying the court has no 'expertise or experience' in this field, he added: 'There might be benefits to public safety of imposing limits of the kind that claimants suggest. 'However, there might also be harm to public safety in imposing such limits, e.g. such limits would prevent PAs and AAs from developing their skills, in a suitable supervised setting, and might inhibit some PAs and AAs from doing work they could be competent to do. 'If so, that would have a negative impact on the stretched resources of the NHS and the capacity of doctors to deal with more complex patient issues. 'That, in turn, would have a negative impact on patient safety by making it less likely that patients can get the timely treatment they need.' He added that no party in the proceedings considers that the GMC is the body best placed to define the scope for PAs or AAs. The hearing before Mrs Justice Lambert is due to conclude on Thursday with a decision expected in writing at a later date.
