The Essential Guide for Legal Assistance for Claiming Surgical Errors

Updated on March 28, 2022
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Surgery is the part of the treatment that needs extra mindfulness, care, and precision. A single mistake or wrong decision made during surgery can worsen the patient’s condition or even take his life. Surgical errors can be intentional but mainly occur due to negligence. However, surgical errors can also be caused by experienced surgeons.

Depending on negligence, you may incur pain, minor injury, or organ damage. It is your right to claim surgical negligence and seek justice. Involving a professional lawyer to file the lawsuit against the surgeon or staff will make your case more powerful. 

Types of Surgical Errors That Can Be Claimed

If the surgery does not come up with the expected results, the reason could be the patient’s inability to improve. The concerned authorities shall not be responsible for this type of surgical incompetency. However, a list of genuine surgical errors is also worth a legal proceeding.

  • Use of Improper Equipment

Many hospitals do not pay attention to the importance of functional devices and sterilization of surgical instruments. Eventually, this negligence results in misdiagnosis and infections.

  • Problems with Anesthesia 

Surgical mistakes also include reckless administration of anesthesia. The overdoses of anesthesia lead to various health issues, such as nausea, brain injury, prolonged unconsciousness, or vomiting. If the patient is given less anesthesia, the pain of making cuts on the skin leaves a traumatic effect on the patient’s mind that lasts for years. This kind of negligence is mostly observed during childbirth, in which the epidural is not found to be as effective as it should be.

  • Negligence in Surgical Procedure

If the surgeon mistakenly performs the surgery for the wrong organ or area of the body that was not supposed to be treated, it can also be considered surgical negligence. Amid all this, the body organ or nerves may also get damaged. 

Leaving cotton swabs, forceps, or any surgical instrument inside the body during surgery is also a severe surgical error. This type of medical malpractice may also require another surgery to recover the object, which increases the hospital bill as well.

Benefits of Hiring a Medical Lawyer 

Medical lawyers belonging to the State Law Group know well about the liabilities of the hospital and patient. They will help you strengthen your case by reaching out to the witnesses and collecting evidence personally. They will also guide you better about the legal procedure and will collect and submit documents to the concerned departments on your behalf. They may also be able to get the necessary footage of the incident from the hospital’s management through sources.

What You Will Need to Prove

While fighting for the surgical error claim, you will need to have solid proof of surgical negligence in lab findings, detailed medication statements, or a discharge receipt. You may also need to meet the eyewitnesses of the surgical negligence from the OT staff and convince them to take your side, which will make your case more successful.

Endnote

Whether the loss is minor or irreparable, it is not wise to ignore surgical negligence. You should take legal action against those who made you suffer the pain so that history does not repeat itself. Seeking legal assistance will relieve you from the stress of collecting evidence and improve your chances of getting justice served. 

The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.