New Orleans Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Explains 5 Common Surgical Errors

Surgical mistakes are more common than most people want to believe. More mistakes occur during minor, frequently performed procedures than complicated surgeries. Medical negligence can have lifelong consequences, and many patients turn to a medical malpractice attorney to avoid insurmountable d

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There are approximately 4,000 new reports of surgical mistakes every year, as WebMD explains. They cost insurers more than $1.3 billion in medical malpractice settlements and judgments.

If a surgeon’s negligence causes an injury or worsens an existing condition, then you may have valid grounds for a malpractice lawsuit. A New Orleans spinal cord injury lawyer can investigate the incident, gather evidence and structure your claim. To learn more, call the The Bowling Christiansen Law Firm at (504) 586-5200 for legal advice.

Until then, read on to learn five common surgical mistakes:

1. Foreign Objects

Surgeons neglect to remove foreign objects from patients far too frequently. Each year, there are thousands of reports about pads, scalpels, gauze, clamps and other items left inside patients after surgery.

Foreign objects can cause chronic pain, severe infections and even death if not removed immediately. Surgeons can easily prevent such an error by following standard protocol.

2. Wrong Patients

There are several reasons why surgeons accidentally operate on the wrong person, including miscommunication between doctors, poor hospital procedures and not verifying patients before surgery. Operating on the wrong patient could result in the removal of healthy organs, which can lead to fatal complications. To compound the problem, the actual patient does not undergo the much-needed procedure.

3. Incorrect Side

Surgeons worldwide frequently make the grave mistake of operating on the wrong side of the patient. They can remove a healthy kidney, for example, and leave the diseased one inside, or amputate the wrong limb and leave the patient with only the faulty one. Such mistakes can be devastating, frequently causing permanent disability, disfigurement and lifelong health problems.

4. Anesthesia Errors

Anesthetic is a non-negotiable requirement of some surgeries, but this concoction of toxic chemicals can severely harm patients if not monitored correctly. Anesthesia mistakes are not only common; they are also often deadly. Too much anesthetic can interfere with the patient’s oxygen intake or kill him or her outright, but too little can cause the patient to wake up during the procedure and suffer unimaginable pain.

5. Scalpel Mistakes

Surgeons can easily create a range of serious and debilitating problems if they make a mistake with the scalpel. A small cut in the wrong place can cause many devastating conditions, such as damaged nerves, brain injuries, spinal cord damage and more. These mistakes frequently disable patients for life and can also cause chronic pain and infection. If you were the victim of such an error, then a spinal cord injury lawyer may be able to help you recover compensation.

Simply verifying patients, checking materials and being alert can greatly reduce the frequency of surgical errors. All too often, though, health-care workers fail in these duties.

If you were injured due to a physician’s negligence, then contact the The Bowling Christiansen Law Firm. Call us today at (504) 586-5200 to schedule a consultation.