There are always many risks associated with a surgical operation. Even when everything goes according to plan, there can be health complications that threaten the success of the surgery. When the medical staff makes an error, the chances of the patient suffering an unnecessary injury or illness increase dramatically. One the most common types of errors made during an operation is wrong site surgery.
Wrong site surgery occurs when a surgical team operates on the wrong part of the body. For example, a mistake may cause a surgeon to operate on the wrong artery or on the wrong side of the brain. This type of error can cause a patient to lose precious time needed to perform the correct surgery and unnecessarily exposes the patient to a greater risk of contracting an illness or infection. If you or someone you love is a victim of wrong site surgery, you may have grounds to initiate a lawsuit for medical malpractice.
Causes of Wrong Site Surgery
Miscommunication can lead to costly errors during surgery. Any of the following mistakes could cause a surgical team to accidentally operate on the wrong site:
- Illegible writing on the patient's records
- Failing to verify the site of the surgery prior to the operation
- Failing to mark the site of the surgery, or marking the wrong site
- Confusing the surgeries needed on two or more different patients
- Hurrying into a surgery without clarifying the details with other medical staff
When surgical teams or other medical staff do not take care to check and double check the identity of a patient and his or her scheduled surgery, serious mistakes can result that could cause lasting harm to a patient. In addition to the physical and emotional stress caused by a wrong site surgery, a patient and his or her family face a great financial burden after an improper operation. The patient may be dealing with costly medical bills, lost wages from time off of work, additional medications, longer recovery time, and pain and suffering.
A patient who has been harmed by wrong site surgery has the right to pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit to recover payment for his or her injuries and damages. An experienced medical malpractice attorney can help victims of surgical errors fight for the compensation that they deserve so that they can begin to heal physically, mentally, and financially from their accidents.
For More Information
To learn more about wrong site surgery and other forms of malpractice, visit the website of the Pennsylvania surgical malpractice lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., today.
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