Surgery is the highest-risk type of medical procedure. Patients place their lives in their surgeon’s hands and trust that everything will go smoothly. Unfortunately, in rare cases, something goes wrong. Even more rarely, surgeons operate on the wrong body part or even the wrong patient.
Wrong-site surgery malpractice in Broken Arrow occurs less than once every 112,000 operations. Studies estimate that this type of malpractice occurs at a given hospital once every five to ten years. However, that is little consolation to victims of these errors. Victims deserve compensation for medical negligence. For this, you need legal representation from a surgical error attorney at LaCourse Law.
Wrong-site surgery occurs when a doctor incorrectly performs a surgical procedure in the wrong place or body part. The most common example is a misplaced amputation, where the doctor removes the wrong limb. Other cases include removing the wrong organ or operating on a different body structure.
Other wrong-site operations that may occur in Broken Arrow include the wrong patient undergoing surgery or a patient receiving the incorrect procedure. For instance, if Patient Smith receives an operation intended for Patient Jones, or if Patient Smith receives a bypass operation instead of an appendectomy, that is wrong-site surgery malpractice. These incidents are far less common and are known as sentinel events. They indicate a system failure of such magnitude that the hospital must revise its entire process.
These sentinel events are preventable but occur due to miscommunication, errors in patient handoff, or staffing issues. When these events happen, many parties may be liable, including the following.
Doctors are expected to review all pre-operative details, including double-checking the patient, procedure, and location of the operation.
Nurses, anesthesiologists, EMTs, and other staff are equally responsible for double-checking the patient’s identity, the type of procedure the room is prepared for, and other factors involved in the operation.
The hospital must oversee hiring and firing staff and doctors. It must also create an environment where all staff feel empowered to correct doctors, request rest breaks, run checklists, and override poor decisions by others.
Surgeons depend on accurate information from other doctors and medical professionals. If an X-ray or other scan was misread or mislabeled, the surgeon might be using erroneous data during the operation.
Proving medical negligence in a Broken Arrow case involving wrong-site surgery requires showing that many individuals acted without the level of care expected of a medical professional. A medical malpractice attorney from the team at LaCourse Law could give you the help you need to recover compensation in your case.
Making a medical malpractice claim is complicated and requires proving that the doctor acted negligently and without the care another medical professional would have used in the same situation. This can be difficult to show, especially if you are still recovering from the effects of the surgical error.
At LaCourse Law, our attorneys could review your case for wrong-site surgery malpractice in Broken Arrow and gather the evidence needed to prove your claim. We could work with you to prepare your case for trial, if necessary, and protect your legal rights throughout the negotiations. Call our office today for a no-obligation, confidential consultation.
(918) 744-7100