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A 1999 study completed by the Institute of Medicine found that medical mistakes, including surgical errors, result in 45,000 and 98,000 fatalities each year. When you are facing surgery, you have enough on your mind without having to consider the possibility of suffering from a surgical mistake. However, you cannot ignore the fact that surgery errors are frequent and damaging medical mistakes.
There are many different types of surgical errors, all of which can have long-lasting repercussions on your life. Thus, before a surgery, you should do all that you can to protect yourself from these problems. Make sure that you write clearly and concisely on any medical forms, and request to meet with the surgeon before your surgery so that he or she can become more familiar with your case. This way, you can help protect yourself from mistakes.
First, a common operating error is performing the procedure on the wrong side of the body. In fact, a recent study found that 2,217 wrong-side surgeries occurred in the short span of 13 years. While this may not be hugely damaging, such as removal of the wrong mole, it can result in serious problems, especially if there is an amputation involved. For instance, if doctors accidentally remove your healthy right arm rather than your diseased left arm, you may be left with no arms at all.
Next, another frequent problem is giving a patient the wrong treatment or procedure altogether. Surgeons and nurses may mix up charts, which can lead you to get the wrong surgery. Besides putting you at risk for wrongful amputation and other complications, your own treatment can be dangerously delayed while hospitals sort out the error.
Additionally, another error is retaining instruments after your operation. Although it is quick and easy to count the equipment before and after surgery, surgeons and nurses can fail in this simple duty. You can be left with tools like sponges, cloths, knives, clamps, and needles in your body. This can put you at risk for infections, and sharp instruments like knives can cut further into your body.
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If you are a victim of a surgical error, you should not let this terrible mistake go unpunished. To fight back, contact a Sheboygan medical malpractice attorney from Habush Habush & Rottier, S.C., today.
James Witherspoon
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