People forget that surgeons are still human beings that make mistakes from time to time, but that does not mean one should not take any action if an error was critical and life-changing. When one goes into the hospital for surgery, they trust the doctors are taking care of them. Imagine coming out of surgery with one health problem fixed but then having an entirely new health problem. Swapping out health problems is not why patients go to the hospital.
A Honolulu surgical errors attorney can help a patient try to get their life back to normal.
Which Surgical Errors Are Considered To Be A Result of Negligent Actions of A Surgeon
There is a difference between minor surgical errors that do not need to be reported and errors that are irreversible. Suppose there is evidence that there was negligence on the surgeon’s part. In that case, it will be easier to support a medical malpractice claim. The nine common surgical errors that can happen during a surgery operation includes the following:
- Administering too much anesthesia
- Operating on the wrong organ or part of the body
- Infections that could have been prevented
- Failure to address complications as a result of the surgery
- Unnecessary surgeries
- Leaving a foreign object inside the patient
- Inflicting nerve damage
- Paralysis
- Operating on the wrong person
According to the NCBI medical error reduction and prevention latest report, 400,000 patients per year experience a surgical error. 100,000 patients, unfortunately, die as a result of medical errors yearly.
What Circumstances Do Surgical Errors Usually Happen Under?
Enough proof needs to be provided to show that there were negligent actions on behalf of the doctor. Some negligent acts consist of:
- Fatigued. Doctors need all their focus and attention while performing surgery on a patient. Doctors do not spend enough time getting the proper amount of sleep to be well-prepared for their surgical duties because they are overworked.
- Drugs or alcohol. Surprisingly there is a high number of doctors who operate while under the influence. This can happen when they feel it is necessary to find a way to stay awake and seek out drugs for their immediate help. Another likely scenario is if a doctor is out drinking alcohol while they are on call.
- Lack of communication. All the doctors and nurses should be on the same page before operating. Communicating every detail makes a difference, whether discussing any allergies that a patient may have or their past medical history. Simply failing to document anything medically related is irresponsible.
- Lack of staffing. When there is not enough staff to properly watch and take care of the patient, it can have disastrous effects.
- Incompetence. The surgeon must be adequately trained for the specific surgery that they are about to perform.
- Prescription errors. While prescription medications are meant to treat or prevent infections before or after surgical procedures, they still run the risk of becoming injured in the process of taking those meds.
Our Team Is Ready To Fight For Your Health
A surgical error should not stop a patient from living the life they once had. It is not the patient’s fault or responsibility to fix what happened to them. With the help of a Honolulu surgical errors attorney, they can take care of their case. If you or someone you care about has sustained a surgical injury due to the negligent actions, then contact us immediately at 808-736-5035 or by clicking here.