Annual report of the Council with balance sheet of the London and Counties Medical Protection Society : 1946

  • London and Counties Medical Protection Society
Date:
1946
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Council with balance sheet of the London and Counties Medical Protection Society : 1946. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/40 (page 17)
    returned the following day.on account of pain and was re-admitted. The following morning she was seen by the Honorary Surgeon in the course of his. normal round. The hand was swollen and the. fingers somewhat blue, so. he gave directions for the plaster to be removed and for the application of a simple palmar splint. This was done and the patient, being more comfortable, was dis- charged the following day. It was understood that she would attend for further treatment and observation at a London hospital. Some months later the Hospital and the Resident Surgical] Officer received letters from solicitors acting on behalf of the patient alleging that as a result of the original plaster being applied too tightly the patient had suffered a permanent injury. The Society, in conjunction with the other Defence organisation, arranged for the patient to be examined by a well-known orthopedic surgeon. He reported that the function of the thumb was seriously impaired and in his opinion this was because of the application and retention of a plaster which was too tight. In view of this it was decided to explore a settlement and this was effected, the other Defence organisation, the Hospital insurers and the Society each contributing one third. Although the Society's member was never involved in the threatened action the Council] felt that he had had some responsibility and it was for this reason that it agreed to contribute. Loss of Leg following injection of Varicose Veins A practitioner operated on a patient in a local hospital for the injection of varicose veins with Ethamolin and the tying of saphenous vein at the saphenous opening under a local anesthetic. At the moment of injection there was an involuntary spasm of the thigh muscles and the point of the needle passed through the vein and entered the femoral artery. The injection was stopped immediately, the wound sutured and everything possible done to conserve circulation in the limb, Collateral circulation became established everywhere except in the first three toes. A consulting surgeon was called in. Later the improvement was not maintained and it became necessary to amputate the three toes. Subsequently further amputations became necessary and finally the patient was left with a high amputation of the thigh. Proceedings were threatened against the practitioner. The Council, after careful consideration, came to the conclusion that this would be an extremely difficult case to defend and a settlement was arranged. Loss of Eye following Anesthesia A practitioner who was the Resident Medical Officer at a hospital] administered an anesthetic to a patient aged sixty-two years for the purpose of an operation for varicose veins. The anesthetic—