A 65-year-old Frenchman who suffered a medical error has been living for four years with two less lobes in his right lung due to cancer he never contracted, various French media report.
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Following a lung infection suffered in 2018, the resident of the city of Toulouse carried out a biopsy which revealed to him that he had lung cancer. Shortly after, he was operated on and a large part of his right lung was removed.
A month after the operation, the patient sees his surgeon again, who tells him that he is not suffering from cancer. The man learns that his removal of two lobes of the lung was done for nothing.
The latter contacted the national office for compensation of medical accidents in order to obtain compensation.
After investigation, the cheated patient learned that the sample taken during his biopsy had been mistakenly exchanged with that of another patient.
In July 2021, a complaint was filed, but it was dismissed by the court without any investigation ten days later.
The patient’s lawyer nevertheless managed to have the case seized by an investigating judge last April.
In addition to the criminal complaint, civil proceedings are underway.
Since this medical error, the sexagenarian claims to live an ordeal. He runs out of breath at the slightest effort and believes he has lost a good part of his lung capacity.
“They stole my old age,” he laments.
His lawyer asked for an expert to assess the damage suffered by his client.
“Compensation proposals have already reached us, but we consider them insufficient. The expertise will allow us to obtain more reasonable compensation,” said the lawyer.