Surgical Errors

Surgical errors/complications are secondary conditions, symptoms or other disorders that are caused by a surgery.  Surgical errors may occur in any kind of medical procedure involving intrusive and non-intrusive surgery. Even the simplest of cosmetic surgical procedures may result in a surgical error. Surgical malpractice is the failure of a surgeon to provide adequate treatment to patients resulting in a personal injury or substantial loss of income.

According to Medical Care, one of the top ten journals of hospital administration, surgery patients who are injured as a result of their operation are 7 times more likely to die while hospitalized and are also much more likely to be readmitted to hospital within 3 months of being discharged than are surgery patients who are not injured.

When medical “standards” are not followed and adequate treatment to patients is not provided, needless injuries can happen. The attorneys of Janet, Jenner & Suggs are familiar with how many of these errors are covered up. Frequently, the patient and/or loved ones are told that there were no mistakes.  Too often, the physician or hospital are not questioned until the statute of limitations run out and the family is left with extended medical costs or worse, the loss of a loved one.

There are three basic categories of surgery:

  • Emergency surgery is performed as soon as possible; minutes can make a difference.
  • Urgent surgery is best performed within hours.
  • Elective surgery can be delayed for some period of time, until everything has been done to optimize a person’s chances of doing well during and after the surgical procedure.

Errors that can occur include:

  • Surgery performed on the wrong body part
  • Surgery performed on the wrong patient
  • Wrong surgical procedure performed on a patient
  • Retention of a foreign object in a patient after surgery
  • Use of unsanitary surgical utensils
  • Incorrect incision
  • Organ puncture or perforation
  • Surgery on wrong organ, wrong site surgery or wrong side surgery
  • Delayed surgery
  • Prolonged surgery

These are the most common types of surgeries where surgical errors occur:

  • Cardiothoracic
  • Childbirth
  • Gastric Bypass
  • Laparoscopic Intestinal Surgery
  • Plastic Surgery/Cosmetic Surgery
  • Thoracic Surgery