When you visit the hospital for a surgical procedure, you expect a certain standard of care before, during and after the operation. While most surgeries end up without any issues, it is not always the case.
Mistakes or negligence by the operating team can lead to complications, some of which can permanently affect a patient’s life.
Common causes of surgical negligence
Most mistakes in the operating room are attributed to human error or recklessness and are avoidable. Some of the prominent causes are:
- Incompetence by a medical provider on the surgical team
- A medical provider’s fatigue
- Drug and alcohol abuse by a surgeon or nurse
- Poor communication among the surgical team
- Using unsafe or unsterilized instruments, among others
All these can be deadly to the patient, and you should hold the negligent party accountable.
Life may never be the same again
Surgical mistakes are sometimes irreversible, and patients have to live with the consequences of a negligent surgeon. Picture a situation where someone has had their limb amputated, yet they were scheduled to have their appendix removed. This can happen due to a patient file mix-up and result in a permanent disability.
A surgeon can also damage a nerve during an operation and leave you dealing with a severe nerve injury. It could mean a lifetime of chronic pain for the affected patient. Similarly, patients are often scarred for life after an operation goes wrong. The pain and suffering or trauma can scar a patient for life.
What can you do?
If you are a victim of medical negligence, you need to hold the responsible party accountable and recover compensation for your injuries. However, a medical malpractice claim is way more complex than ordinary personal injury claims due to the various technicalities involved.
Therefore, learning more about what to expect when filing your claim and the legal options you have in case a settlement can’t be reached will help you get the justice you deserve.
