Injuries Caused by Surgical Malpractice
Nationwide Surgical Malpractice Lawyers
When surgery is required to fix or address a medical problem, the procedure is supposed to remedy the issue and help you get back on the road to good health. Surgeries should be conducted by experienced care providers that are knowledgeable in their field and are supported by nurses assuring that proper safety protocols are followed. Unfortunately, when medical professionals intentionally or unintentionally commit errors during surgery, medical malpractice and surgical malpractice occurs. These errors can occur in many forms, including:
- Surgery on the wrong site
- Performing the wrong surgical procedure
- Organ injury or damage
- Failure to recognize and treat post-operative problems
- Failure to recognize complications during surgery
- Performing surgery when the patient is not stable
If you have experienced significant injuries due to potential surgical malpractice, contact us today by calling (909) 345-8110.
Surgical Malpractice Attorneys Ready to Represent You
Most surgeons are highly skilled and take great care to perform their operations safely and correctly. Unfortunately, errors do occur. Surgical errors can lead to devastating effects if not treated properly. Our team of Surgical Malpractice lawyers can represent you in cases involving:
- Anesthesia errors
- Cardiac/heart malpractice
- Gastric bypass malpractice
- Laparoscopic cholecystectomy errors
- Neurosurgical errors
- Orthopedic malpractice
- Surgical injuries
Risks of Surgical Procedures
When surgery of any kind is needed, it does come with a good deal of risks. Even though medical professionals are trained to minimize the risks involved, the actions of the doctor or other party involved with the surgery can still directly cause harm. The most common kinds of surgical malpractice cases involve:
- Gynecological surgery
- Heart surgery
- Lung surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Obstetric surgery
- Childbirth injuries
- Orthopedic surgery
How Surgical Malpractice Can Occur
The surgeon is responsible for following all critical steps in each surgical procedure. The steps for a procedure will vary, but typically all surgeries entail the surgeon reviewing information about the patient’s body and accurately obtaining critical measurements. Surgeons also consult with their patients before the procedure, ensuring the surgical environment is as safe as possible. Unfortunately, many cases of surgical malpractice take place due to a surgeon failing to give a patient a proper consultation before a procedure.
Factors That Can Cause Surgical Malpractice
No two procedures are the same. This can lead to very common errors. Surgeons are expected to be aware of all steps and safety needs in each procedure, but they still may cause surgical injury to a patient. A surgeon can cause surgical injury due to:
- Incompetence
- Fatigue
- Drugs/Alcohol
- Poor communication
- Neglect
All these factors can cause a surgeon to perform surgical errors. In most cases, it is simple to prove that your surgeon’s treatment deviated from the standard of care. If you establish that a surgical error violated the standard of care, the most crucial step is to determine if you were harmed by the error. Generally, the definition of the standard of care is: The type of and level of care an ordinary health care professional, with the same training and experience, would provide under similar circumstances in the same community.
Using this as a guide can help decide if your case qualifies as surgical malpractice. If you fear you were injured by surgical malpractice, please reach out to a McCune Law Group Surgical Malpractice attorney to discuss your case.
Surgical Injury Can Even Occur After a Procedure
After a procedure, the doctor or surgeon must have a follow-up meeting with the patient to discuss what events happened during the surgery. The meeting will address what the next steps are for the patient and what the patient should avoid in the recovery process. The doctor should also confirm that the hospital the procedure took place in was safe for the patient and will not lead to any serious infections while the patient’s body is vulnerable. Doctors may fail to meet these requirements by avoiding these meetings, leaving the patient with a false sense of security after a procedure and causing harm. Health care professionals should be held to a higher standard before, during, and after a procedure. If proper follow-up care was not provided, the patient could be eligible to bring a surgical malpractice case.
Surgical Injury Can Even Occur After a Procedure
After a procedure, the doctor or surgeon must have a follow-up meeting with the patient to discuss what events happened during the surgery. The meeting will address what the next steps are for the patient and what the patient should avoid in the recovery process. The doctor should also confirm that the hospital the procedure took place in was safe for the patient and will not lead to any serious infections while the patient’s body is vulnerable. Doctors may fail to meet these requirements by avoiding these meetings, leaving the patient with a false sense of security after a procedure and causing harm. Health care professionals should be held to a higher standard before, during, and after a procedure. If proper follow-up care was not provided, the patient could be eligible to bring a surgical malpractice case.
Contact us today by calling (909) 345-8110 to set up a free consultation and review of your potential surgical malpractice case.