Cutting Edge Medicine
A German court has just awarded a man there €3,000 in damages. It seems doctors lost the top of his skull.
Doctors removed the top of the man's head and put it in cold storage while they operated on his brain, the court in the western city of Koblenz said Tuesday.
Because the refrigerator was defective, the section of skull was not kept cool enough and could not be reattached. Doctors replaced the bone with a plastic prosthesis.
The man sued, arguing that the plastic noggin caused him headaches and made him susceptible to the cold. The court, however, disagreed.
Following consultations with experts, the court found that the operation had caused the man's discomfort, not the loss of the top of his skull.
Compensation of 3,000 euros was "appropriate and sufficient," it said.
"The experts consulted by the court concluded the new skull roof was better than the original," a court spokesman said.
Doctors, feeling that they have been vindicated, plan to begin installing convertible skull roofs next year.
Legal, Medicine, World news | Gaius Wednesday, 29 August , 2007
By Purple Avenger, Wednesday, 29 August , 2007 @ 8:17 pm
Would have been good for millions here in the USA.