When patients undergo surgical procedures, whether they are medically necessary or elective surgeries, they are typically aware of the inherent risks and complications associated with the procedure, such as anesthesia reactions, blood clots, infection, cardiovascular complications or healing complications. Sometimes, though, the inherent complications of surgery are worsened by a mistake made by a doctor or nurse during the procedure. Unfortunately, medical errors are the fifth-leading cause of deaths in the United States, causing up to 98,000 deaths annually, according to the Institute of Medicine .
Surgical errors account for thousands of patient injuries or deaths every year. Examples of surgical errors related to medical negligence include:
· Use of unsanitary surgical utensils
· Surgical instruments or sponges left inside a patient
· Improper surgical technique
· Organ, nerve or artery puncture or perforation
· Surgery on wrong organ, wrong site surgery or wrong side surgery
· Delayed or prolonged surgery
· Anesthesia mistakes or over-sedation
· Unnecessary surgery
· Medication overdoses
· Use of wrong blood type
· Failure to diagnose and treat post-operative infection
If you were a victim of any of these surgical errors, you can file a medical malpractice lawsuit. An experienced attorney can help you determine if a doctor or other staff member neglected to provide proper care or neglected to demonstrate an appropriate level of medical skill.
What types of surgeries are prone to surgical errors?
Any type of surgery carries the risk of surgical error. The most common surgeries with this risk include:
· Gastric Bypass
· Childbirth
· Cardiac Surgery
· Thoracic Surgery
· Laparoscopic Intestinal Surgery
· Plastic Surgery/Cosmetic Surgery
When can surgical errors happen?
Surgical errors can occur before, during or even after a surgery. Pre-operative evaluation and planning is crucial in understanding the patient’s current health and medical history, medications, lifestyle and family history. Surgeons should only operate when it is certain that the procedure is in the best interest of the patient, safe and appropriate.
Errors that occur during a surgical procedure are widespread. Negligent, careless or inexperienced medical professionals can make anesthesia mistakes, make incorrect or sloppy incisions, use un-sterile tools, etc. Reasons for these errors could include:
· Sleep-deprived, overworked surgeons
· Poor communication between physicians and other healthcare providers
· Drug or alcohol addictions among surgeons, the surgical team or anesthesiologists
· Surgical teams not properly trained to use operating room equipment and technologies
· Surgeons, anesthesiologist or nursing staff not properly monitoring the patient
Post-operative surgical errors can lead to infection, septic shock, delayed healing, hemorrhage, pneumonia and other respiratory complications, pain and other life threatening medical consequences. These complications can occur immediately after the surgery or weeks or months later.
Surgical errors can leave a patient with lifelong complications, including permanent disability, chronic pain/suffering and shorter life spans.
