Surgical ErrorsSurgical Error Lawyer

Surgical errors is a broad category of medical malpractice cases. Surgical error cases cover the gambit from surgeons failing to look before cutting to inadequate postsurgical care leading to falls or infections. This web site discusses some of the more common surgical errors. But in the broad field of medical malpractice a consultation should be sought in cases involving serious injuries or death to determine whether a surgical error is to blame.

In most personal injury cases the facts can be uncovered through testimony of independent witnesses, the injured party, video, police investigations etc. In surgical error cases, the victim is typically sedated and is effectively unavailable as a witness to the error. The medical team that performs and or assists during the surgical procedure can not be counted on for unbiased and forthcoming accounts of surgical errors.

The surgical error lawyers at Patterson Law offer free consultations to assess whether you may have a medical malpractice case due to a surgical mistake.

Injuries from surgical errors generally require a medical and legal investigation to uncover the facts. This will typically begin with a review of the medical records by an attorney and then a medical expert. Medical records typically do not contain overt confessions of errors, but the medical documentation may show deviations by the medical personnel from the accepted standards of care. In addition, the type of injury sustained can sometimes lead to the inevitable conclusion that malpractice occurred. Some surgical errors involve improper technique. Improper surgical technique typically requires a medical expert to review the medical records and the patient’s postsurgical injury to offer an opinion as to the improper surgical technique that led to the injury.

The medical malpractice lawyers at Patterson Law routinely work with medical experts to obtain assessments as to whether bad outcomes from surgical procedures are due to malpractice as opposed to known risks or unfortunate complications. The investigation usually requires the collection of the victim’s complete medical history. Surgeons often must balance the risks and benefits of a treatment for a patient with multiple ailments. For example, during surgical procedures the general standard of care is for patients to be taken off blood thinners and anticoagulants. This is to avoid bleeding during a surgical procedure and after a surgery while internal wounds heal. A patient with severe atrial fibrillation without proper medication is at a heightened risk of blood clots forming and subsequently causing a stroke. The medical team must balance the risk of a patient suffering a stroke against the risk of the patient suffering a serious internal bleed. The standard of care is typically to resume the anticoagulant medication a certain number of hours after a surgery. The longer the medical team waits the greater the risk to the patient of suffering stroke. On the other hand, the sooner that anticoagulation medication is administered after a surgical procedure the greater the risk of an internal bleed to the patient. This is just one example of many where a bad outcome after a surgical procedure occurred due to competing risks that the medical team properly managed.

Please contact the surgical error lawyers at Patterson Law if you or a loved one may be the victim of a surgical mistake to schedule a free consultation.

Surgical procedures generate risks that need to be managed after the procedure. These risks include infections, fall prevention, avoiding DVTs and pulmonary embolisms. A surgical patient must be given proper care after the surgery. At the hospital or surgery center care must be taken to prevent the patient from falling or developing an infection. The patient must also receive proper instructions about the use of medication, resuming activity and signs or symptoms that require them to return for a medical evaluation.

The medical malpractice lawyers at Patterson Law with the assistance of medical experts can evaluate whether serious injuries or deaths during and after surgical procedures occurred due to a medical error.