A shocking case of medical malpractice made headlines in 2001 after a routine spinal fusion surgery at Hilo Medical Center in Hawaii took a devastating turn. During the operation, surgeon Dr. Robert Ricketson discovered that the required titanium rods were missing, and, improvised by using the shaft of a screwdriver instead.
The patient, 71-year-old Arturo Iturralde, never recovered, and the incident later became one of the most infamous examples of surgical negligence in U.S. medical history.
