Surgery is often a necessary step in addressing serious medical conditions, and patients place their trust in surgeons and medical staff to provide them with safe, effective care. Unfortunately, surgical errors happen more frequently than many realize, leading to devastating consequences for patients and their families.
Surgical errors can occur even in cities like St. Louis, which is home to some of the leading hospitals and medical centers in the country. When they do, victims often turn to St. Louis medical malpractice lawyers to help them seek justice and compensation.
These lawyers will gather relevant evidence, negotiate with the defendant, and secure fair compensation for your losses. Fair compensation helps victims get their lives back on track.
What is a Surgical Mistake?
A simple definition of a surgical mistake is the error(s) caused by the medical practitioner during a surgical procedure. It may lead to serious injuries, life-altering disabilities, or sometimes even death. These mistakes may happen due to one or more reasons like incorrect medicine dosages, communication issues, lack of experience, or ignorance.
Let us take a deeper look at the forms of surgical errors.
Surgical Mistake – Types
You trust your surgeon with your life when you go into the operation theater. However, sometimes unfortunate circumstances arise. What leads to these situations? Let us see.
● Wrong Medication or Incorrect Dosage
Giving the patient the right medicine or precise dosage of a medicine is the preliminary step of surgery. Be it anesthesia, painkillers, or something else, the medical practitioner has to be very careful about it. The team must carefully understand the requirements and act accordingly.
● Wrong – Site
This is the most ignorant a doctor can get. Wrong-site surgeries refer to the situation when the doctor operates on the wrong body part. Let us explain it with an example. Suppose an operation is to be done on the right kidney and the doctor operates on the left one, that is considered wrong-site.
● Wrong Procedure/ Wrong Patient
Every patient is not the same. Considering the patient’s medical history, the procedure may differ. So, the doctor needs to be skilled enough to understand what procedure works for which patient.
Another serious issue is operating on the wrong person. Yes, you read that right. It may seem far-fetched but it does happen sometimes. The consequences of this can be catastrophic.
● Equipment Failure
This is more of the hospital’s issue than the surgeon’s. If the hospital’s equipment is not in the right condition, it may lead to functioning failure when in use. This may lead the doctor to lose control of the situation.
Surgical errors continue to be one of the most serious medical breaches for patients. These errors end up shattering the patient’s trust in medical care. It may also take a toll on them mentally. This is why it is crucial that these issues are addressed and the right actions are taken. It is important to maintain the integrity of the patient as well as the hospital.
