A surgical error can be considered medical malpractice if the doctor’s negligence directly led to your injuries.
When a surgical error occurs, it is not automatically considered medical malpractice. In order to qualify as malpractice, the mistake had to be negligent (breach the standard of care) and cause some type of injury to the victim. Here is what you need to know about surgical errors.
What is a Surgical Error?
All surgeries comes with risks that are clearly defined before the procedure takes place. With that being said, surgical errors go beyond those defined risks. These are unexpected mistakes that the patient was not informed about prior.
Common Surgical Errors
- Damaging a nerve
- Anesthesia mistake: too much or too little medicine
- Performing the surgery/incision at the wrong location
- Leaving surgical equipment inside of the patient
- Operating on wrong patient
Causes
No two surgeries are the same, so each case can be completely different. However, there are some more common causes of surgical errors. Here are a few:
- Incompetence: You would think that only qualified surgeons would be allowed to perform certain surgeries. However, sometimes a surgeon hasn’t done the surgery enough times and didn’t have the correct skill set to perform it, but will still do it anyway.
- Insufficient Planning: A surgery is no easy task and is something that needs to be planned out thoroughly. This includes making sure all of the equipment is set up properly, evaluating all of the possible risks, and having emergency measures in case for complications. If doctors and nurses fail to prepare properly for a procedure, surgical errors are more likely to occur.
- Lack of Communication: Unfortunately, lack of communication is one of the biggest reasons for surgical errors. A surgery involved more than just the surgeon itself. There are anesthesiologists, nurses, and assistants that help throughout the entire procedure. All of the staff need to make sure they are communicating throughout the entire surgery to avoid any mistakes. This could be anything from giving the wrong dose of medicine to even marking the wrong site for surgery.
Have You or A Loved One Suffered Injuries From A Surgical Error? Contact The Snyder Law Group Today
The Snyder Law Group, LLC, proudly represents clients throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C. Our experienced Baltimore attorneys understand the frustration that comes with an insurance company, medical professional, or other party that refuses to accept liability for negligent or reckless behavior. You can take heart in knowing there are talented and experienced lawyers ready to work for you. We are experienced in handling personal injury claims of medical malpractice or injury resulting from serious car and truck accidents, and have secured hundreds of millions in verdicts settlements*. Please visit our website, www.410thefirm.com, for more information and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and LinkedIn.