Surgical Mistakes
Whether an operation takes place on the wrong knee, the wrong section of the spine, or something else, when someone undergoes a surgical procedure only to discover later that the wrong part of the body was attended to, it’s absolutely bad news of the worst kind. Medical mistakes that involve removing or operating on the wrong body part are referred to as never events, because, clearly, they are never supposed to happen. When they do, it’s a clue that there are serious underlying safety issues governing the case. Regrettably, it happens more often than one might think. In one dreadful case, the wrong patient endured heart surgery before anyone realized that the patient under the knife had a name that was similar to the patient who actually needed the procedure! These mistakes, and others, cost patients and their families peace of mind, time, health, and money—and sometimes even the life of the patient.
Frightening Statistics
Each year across this country, more than 4,000 surgical errors occur. Breaking that number down reveals that there are 20 procedures weekly that involve a surgical procedure on the wrong body part or patient. On top of those errors, another 40 times each week another type of surgical mistake is made, such as accidentally leaving a sponge, towel, or piece of medical equipment in a patient’s body cavity following surgery. That type of error can mean weeks, months, or even years of symptoms before the root of the problem is discovered. It often results in infections and the need for further surgery. Here in Maryland, the number of these kinds of accidents are on the rise. In 2022 alone, there were far more serious errors related to surgery than you’d expect:
- There was more than a 50 percent increase in these types of accidents from 2021 to 2022, with over 830 such events in 2022.
- More than 90 percent of surgical mistakes in the state were level 1 events, the worst kind, resulting in disability or death.
The most frustrating part of this is that all of these mistakes are 100 percent preventable. Nevertheless, patients and their families continue to suffer the devastating consequences of surgical mistakes.
Causes of Mistakes
One or more of three issues are generally the culprit when it comes to surgical mistakes:
- Human error; mistakes due to fatigue, carelessness, or miscalculations;
- At-risk behavior: failing to recognize or mitigate risks, increasing risks with chosen actions, or justifying actions regardless of risks;
- Reckless actions: disregarding significant risks.
Searching for Justice
The suffering and heartache cannot ever be made whole, but you may be entitled to compensation that addresses medical costs, lost present and future wages, pain and suffering, and more. The experienced Baltimore personal injury attorneys at The Law Office of Hasson D. Barnes will fight to get the financial remuneration you deserve. Schedule a confidential consultation today.
Source:
cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/nfl-concussion-claims/
