Surgical Error During an Operation                                                                    

Perhaps the most common form of surgical error occurs when medical professionals don't recognize a complication during surgery. For example, if a surgeon is operating on a patient's abdomen, and accidentally cuts or perforates the abdominal wall or a nearby organ without realizing it, the patient may receive stitches and enter recovery, only to suffer complications later on that could have been treated and resolved.

Some common forms of surgical error occuring during an operation include:
 

  • anesthesia errors;
  • inaccurate incisions;
  • unsterile equipment;
  • punctures or perforations to organs; and
  • prolonged surgery. 


Another form of surgical error involves wrong-site surgery. This type of surgical error involves operating on an incorrect part of the body and could be related to a surgeon's failure to properly review the patient's chart and medical history. This form of medical negligence can have catastrophic effects.

For example, if a patient has cancer in the right breast but a mastectomy is done on the left, the patient will still have cancerous tissues (not to mention grounds to receive damages for mental anguish and pain and suffering in a Georgia medical malpractice claim). While wrong-site surgery is relatively rare, it is still a reality for some victims of medical malpractice in Georgia. 

In very extreme cases of surgical error, patients' identities may be confused, which can lead to incompatible organ transplants and bad blood transfusions.

Surgical Error After an Operation

A high standard of care must be upheld even after an operation. When it's not, serious infections can result.

Types of injuries that occur from poor post-operative care include:
 

  • infection;
  • septic shock; and
  • prolonged recovery time. 


Some surgeries carry a higher risk for surgical error, such as gastric bypass and plastic surgeries - even obstetric procedures during childbirth.

Compensation for Your Surgical Error Injuries

Whether your surgical error injuries were caused by a careless medical professional or one who was inexperienced, you still have the right to seek compensation through a Georgia medical malpractice claim.

While you may not be able to reverse your health condition, you may be able to aid your recovery through damages accounting for your medical bills, time you lost at work and even the extreme anguish caused by the surgical error.

Talk with an Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer who can research the facts surrounding your Georgia medical malpractice claim and determine who was responsible, whether it was an individual surgeon, nurse, assistant or a group of individuals.

Contacting an Atlanta Medical Malpractice Lawyer

If you are the victim of someone else's negligence or carelessness, whether in a surgical error or some other type of medical malpractice, you have certain rights guaranteed by law. To help you understand these rights and seek the compensation you deserve to help get your life back in order, contact the Atlanta Law Offices of Sheryl L. Burke for a no-cost consultation on your injury case - 404-842-7838.