Surgical Malpractice

Each year, surgical teams perform thousands of surgeries to address a number of different health problems. Patients who must undergo surgery are understandably nervous about their operations and place a great amount of trust in the teams who perform them. They trust that their surgeons and the rest of the staff will do a decent job. At the very least, they hope that they will not be further harmed by the operation.

While some problems are unavoidable, many are caused by surgical malpractice. Malpractice occurs when human error causes the surgery to go wrong. If you have been injured because of surgical malpractice, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and damages.

Common Surgical Errors

There are many different sources of human error that can occur during surgery and harm a patient. Some of the common mistakes that surgical teams make during operations include:

• 
  Poor communication. Lack of communication between members of the surgical team can have disastrous results. If instructions aren't clear, a surgeon could accidentally perform a wrong side, wrong site, or wrong organ surgery. Not only does this fail to take care of the original problem, but it can cause the patient irreparable harm by unnecessarily removing or altering the function of a perfectly healthy site or organ.


• 
  Poor sterilization. If surgical tools and supplies aren't sterilized properly, they can harbor bacteria that then infect the patient during surgery. This can be especially harmful for someone with an already compromised immune system. One of the most common and dangerous infections that patients pick up is Staphylococcus aureus, also known more commonly as a staph infection.


• 
  Incorrect incision. A poorly trained or uninformed member of the surgical team may accidentally make an incision that is not necessary and could actually cause more harm to the patient.


• 
  Injury from inattentiveness. Sometimes surgical staff are overworked and may accidentally make a mistake because of lack of sleep or distraction. The injury could be minor, but it also has the possibility of being a major error, such as puncturing or perforating an organ.


• 
  Delayed or prolonged surgery. If the surgical team is understaffed or poorly equipped, a patient's surgery may be delayed or may have to be extended, putting the patient at risk.

Surgical errors are a serious problem that lead to many cases of surgical malpractice every year. If you or someone you love has been hurt by surgical malpractice, the surgical team may be liable and you may be entitled to compensation for your accident related costs. The staff or hospital may be ordered to pay you for your surgery costs, related medical bills, lost wages from time off of work, rehabilitation treatments, therapy, emotional distress, and pain and suffering.

For More Information

To learn more about surgical accidents and injury liability, visit the website of the New Jersey medical malpractice lawyers of Levinson & Axelrod, P.A. today.

Joseph Devine