Serious Surgical Negligence/Errors Lawsuits
Undergoing surgery can be frightening, regardless of the reason. Patients are putting their life and health in the hands of surgeons and surgical staff, trusting in their training and experience to protect them during the procedure. When surgical negligence or errors occur, it is a violation of that trust, which can jeopardize the health of the patient, possibly causing further injury and even death. Surgical errors that cause serious injuries or fatal consequences are a form of medical malpractice and can result in a lawsuit against the surgeon, surgical staff or hospital.
Types of Surgical Errors
According to a study completed at John Hopkins in 2016, medical errors account for 10% of all deaths in the U.S., making it the third largest cause of death. Many of these fatal errors can occur in the operating room under the supervision of a surgeon and his team. Even if the patient survives, surgical mistakes can cause serious health complications, ongoing medical expenses and many more impacts to the patient’s life. Some surgical errors and mistakes that can lead to medical malpractice claims include:
- Anesthesia errors
- Wrong surgical procedure performed
- Wrong site operations
- Foreign objects left inside patient
- Nerve injuries
- Wrong patient
Many surgical errors are considered “never events” meaning they should never occur if the surgical team prepares and plans their procedure correctly. However, it is estimated that 4,000 serious surgical errors occur each year, but there may be more that are never reported.
Surgical errors can cause severe injuries to the patient or death. While any type of surgery has risks, when complications occur due to errors, this is outside of the accepted risk. Patients and their families have the right to pursue a medical malpractice claim if there is evidence of surgical negligence that causes a serious injury or loss of life.
For those who have been seriously injured or lost a loved one due to surgical negligence, there are legal options. Contact our team at Conley Griggs Partin LLP today to discuss your medical malpractice claim during a free consultation.
