In a startling incident, a hospital in Georgia faces a lawsuit after a piece of a patient’s skull, removed during brain surgery, was allegedly lost. The patient, Fernando Cluster, underwent a procedure at Emory University Hospital Midtown to treat a brain bleed, which involved the removal of part of his skull. The 12-by-15-centimeter bone flap was meant to be reattached in a subsequent surgery, but two months later, when Cluster was scheduled to have his follow-up surgery, the hospital supposedly could not locate the bone flap that had been removed.
“When Emory’s personnel went to retrieve the bone flap, ‘there were several bone flaps with incomplete or missing patient identification’ and therefore, Emory ‘could not be certain which if any of these belonged to Mr. Cluster,'” the suit reads. The situation led to a series of complications, including the need for a synthetic replacement, additional surgeries due to infection, and significant financial charges for the Cluster family.
In the lawsuit filed in a DeKalb County, Ga., court, Fernando and Maria Cluster say that staff at Emory University Hospital Midtown caused them “ongoing physical and emotional pain and suffering” and left them with thousands of dollars in medical bills.
This case has raised questions about hospital procedures and patient safety. Despite being responsible for the loss of the original bone flap, the hospital billed the Clusters for the synthetic flap, the extended hospital stay and the additional procedure, totaling around $146,800, according to the lawsuit. The bill for the installed synthetic flap alone was more than $19,000, The Atlanta Constitution-Journal reported. It is unclear how much of the bill was covered by their insurance, if at all.
The Clusters are seeking damages for the physical and emotional suffering endured, as well as the financial burden imposed by the hospital’s alleged negligence.
Emory Healthcare declined to comment on the lawsuit filed by the Clusters but told NPR in a statement that the hospital system is “committed to providing high-quality, compassionate care for patients and those we serve in our communities.”
