A surgery does not have to be highly complicated to present danger. Even routine surgeries can result in injuries and even death when health care providers act negligently. While sometimes complications can arise unexpectedly and unavoidably, at other times the hospital could have prevented the injury by following proper standards of care.
Some types of surgical errors tend to occur more frequently than others. If you or a loved one suffered due to medical negligence, you may be able to pursue legal recovery for financial and other damages.
Incorrect dosage of anesthetic
Anesthesia errors can result in serious injury, trauma and even death. Too much anesthetic can prevent the brain from getting the oxygen it needs, potentially resulting in brain damage. An overdose can also have a fatal outcome. Too little anesthetic can cause a patient to wake up in the middle of surgery; doctors may not become aware at the time because the patient may not be able to move or speak, although feeling everything that happens. People who experience awakening during surgery often suffer severe trauma that can turn into PTSD or other serious conditions that may need years of treatment.
Wrong patient
When doctors perform the wrong procedure on the wrong person, the results can be highly damaging. Best case scenario, this person has undergone an unnecessary surgery. In the worst case, the surgery in question could consist of organ removal or amputation.
Wrong site
Relatedly, doctors may also perform the right surgery on the wrong site. Thus, a patient who is supposed to have surgery on the right knee may receive it on the left knee instead. This means unnecessary surgery, plus a failure to fix the patient’s actual problem.
Surgical objects left inside patient
There have been numerous documented incidences where patients suffered complications because surgical instruments and pieces of gauze were left inside them. Resulting symptoms can include pain and infection; the longer time it takes to identify the problem, the more serious the outcome is likely to be.