Whether a surgery has been planned for months or is taking place because of a medical emergency, doctors, nurses, and other medical providers in and out of the operating room have a responsibility to ensure patients receive the best care possible.
When that doesn’t happen, a Philadelphia surgical error lawyer can provide you with the legal guidance you need to hold the negligent party responsible for their actions that left you with injuries.
According to the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), approximately one out of 112,000 surgical procedures result in errors that cause injuries. These mistakes, which can be referred to as instances of medical malpractice, occur for many reasons, but those don’t excuse negligence.
Patients have rights that allow them to hold health care providers accountable for preventable errors. We can explain those rights to you during an initial consultation with our legal team at Shrager, Sachs, & Blanco. Schedule that complimentary case review meeting now.
What Surgical Errors Are Common?
Unfortunately, it’s quite common for preventable mistakes to occur during surgeries. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, more than 100,000 Americans die or are permanently disabled in the United States each year due to medical mistakes, making it the third-leading cause of death.
Common surgical errors include:
Wrong Site Procedures
A 2024 StatPearls study published by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) shows that at least 4,000 surgical errors occur annually in the U.S., with some of the most common types being:
Wrong Patient Surgeries
Communication between doctors, nurses, and other medical staff is imperative. When notes aren’t properly documented in charts or timeout procedures do not happen before surgeries, a patient could have the incorrect body part operated on or undergo a surgery that was meant for someone else.
Anesthesia Errors
The anesthesiologist is responsible for ensuring a patient receives the proper dosage of medication for whatever procedure they’re having. If too much is administered, these anesthesia errors can lead to brain damage or even a wrongful death. If too little is given, the patient could wake up during the procedure or experience unnecessary pain.
The anesthesiologist also needs to take into consideration a patient’s age, weight, and any allergies they have to medications to ensure they don’t have any adverse reactions while unconscious.
Errors in dosages or improperly prescribed medications cost approximately 7,000 to 9,000 lives each year according to another 2024 StatPearls study published by the NLM.
Other common surgical errors include:
- Incorrect use of surgical tools
- Negligent sanitation preparation
- Performing unnecessary surgeries
- Leaving surgical instruments, sponges, or towels inside a patient
- Nerve damage
- Prematurely discharging a patient
- Failing to follow up with a patient after surgery
If you believe you’ve suffered wrongfully after a medical procedure, a Philadelphia surgical error lawyer can investigate your case to determine why the surgical mistake occurred and whether negligence is a factor.
Why Do Surgical Mistakes Occur?
Another StatPearls study the NLM published in 2024 highlighted how 400,000 hospitalized patients experience some preventable harm each year.
Every surgery is unique, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that every surgical error is as well. There are, however, identifiable patterns as to why surgical mistakes happen, including:
- Poor Communication: Failure to communicate can result in many errors, including wrong site or wrong side surgeries. Surgeons also need to make sure all the medical equipment they need is present before the surgery starts. If they fail to inform a nurse of what’s missing, complications could arise during the procedure.
- Inadequate Training: Unfortunately, not every medical practitioner is as qualified for their job as they should be. If your surgeon has not performed your procedure before or if they lack the knowledge needed to do it, the surgery could be unsuccessful.
- Fatigue: It’s no secret that many doctors and nurses are overworked. If a surgeon has an especially long shift and is asked to complete an emergency procedure, they may be more likely to make mistakes if they’re tired.
- Neglect: If a doctor fails to ensure the medical equipment is sterilized, to verify that they’re operating on the correct patient, or actively chooses to use surgical equipment that is known to be defective, the patient can suffer.
What Consequences Are Associated With Errors During Surgery?
Even when surgeons implement safety procedures, mistakes can happen. Some patients may think the symptoms they’re experiencing after surgery are normal; however, if you find yourself experiencing any of the following symptoms, you should contact your doctor as soon as possible:
- Fever
- Sharp pains near the surgical site
- Abdominal pain
- Redness or swelling near the surgical wound
- Vomiting
Those symptoms could indicate an infection. While infections can be treated if recognized promptly, there’s a good chance that it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. If the infection results from a piece of medical equipment left in the body, the patient will need to undergo additional surgeries to remedy the mistake – which puts them at risk for even more complications.
Of the errors we discussed above, anesthesia errors are often the deadliest. Unfortunately, brain death may result before any medical intervention can occur.
How Can an Attorney Help Me Prove a Preventable Surgical Mistake Occurred?
There are always risks associated with any type of surgery, especially given the complicated nature of invasive procedures; however, when a health care professional deviates from the expected standard of care, and injuries result, our Philadelphia surgical error attorneys can help you build a successful medical malpractice claim.
There are four essential elements to a successful claim:
- Duty of Care: Physicians (or other medical providers) must have an established doctor-patient relationship (or some other one) to owe them a certain standard of care.
- Breach: The medical professional’s work fell below the accepted and expected duty of care.
- Injury: The patient’s injury resulted from the doctor deviating from their standard of care.
- Damages: The resulting injury has a negative impact on the patient, whether physical, financial, emotional, or psychological.
As every case and claim is unique, seeking help from an experienced law firm is always in your best interest.
At Shrager & Sachs, we are prepared to investigate your surgical injuries and prove you deserve compensation for what you’ve been through. You may be eligible for compensation to cover your medical expenses, the cost of future care, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.
For more information on your legal options, reach out to us today for a free consultation with a Philadelphia surgical error lawyer.
