A man in the United States has sued an Atlanta hospital after staff there allegedly lost a piece of his scalp following a routine procedure and billed him for a synthetic replacement when it was not found. New York PostThe man, named Fernando Cluster, was admitted to Emory University Hospital in September 2022 for an intracerebral hemorrhage — more commonly known as a brain bleed. At the time, doctors determined that a 4.7-by-6-inch piece of skull needed to be removed to relieve pressure. However, upon returning to the hospital two months later to replace the skull fragment, the hospital could not find it among a pile of other unidentified bone fragments from other patients’ bodies.
A note left in Cluster’s medical file by hospital staff read, “We inspected the freezer where bone flaps are stored and did not find a bone flap with Mr. Cluster’s patient identification.” PostIt added: “There were a number of skeletons on which patient identification was incomplete or missing, but we were unsure which of these belonged to the SRI cluster.”
As a result, Mr. Cluster’s surgery was cancelled while the hospital prepared a synthetic piece of skull. During that time, a large cavity was left in the right side of his skull. By the end of November 2022, the replacement was inserted into the patient’s head, however, the hospital charged him over $19,000 for the synthetic bone to replace the bone he allegedly lost.
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However, even after the replacement, Mr. Cluster’s struggle was still far from over. After the synthetic bone was inserted, he reportedly developed an infection, required additional surgery and was unable to work for a period of time. By the end of his ordeal, his hospital bill exceeded $146,800 and the hospital reportedly did not give him and his wife any discounts for the treatment.
“While my client is clearly upset that he and his insurance company were billed for costs related to Emory’s negligence, I’m sure you can understand that his focus is on the horror of losing a part of Emory’s body and the subsequent negligent attitude he displayed toward it,” said Mr. Cluster’s attorney, Chloe Delaire.
According to the outlet, Mr. Cluster and his wife are now seeking compensation from the hospital for medical bills and emotional damages.
