When medical professionals are not properly trained, are exhausted or abuse drugs, they are more likely to make surgery mistakes that can seriously injure patients.
Surgery is often a viable option to help treat a number of different conditions, and when patients need to undergo surgery, they want to trust that their surgeons are experienced and focused on the procedure at hand. Unfortunately, however, medical professionals may not always be as alert or prepared to perform the surgery as necessary. In such cases, the likelihood that some mistake will occur during the procedure increases, which, in turn, increases the risk of patients sustaining serious surgery complications and other injuries.
Common Surgery Mistakes
Some of the most prevalent surgery mistakes that occur when surgeons, nurses and other medical professionals are not properly trained or are unfocused on the procedure can include (but are not limited to):
- Operating on the wrong part of the body
- Performing the wrong operation on the wrong patient
- Leaving medical tools and/or sponges inside of patients after the surgery
- Damaging healthy tissues in the process of trying to extract or repair unhealthy tissues (While this can include puncturing healthy organs, it may also include severing veins and arteries, all of which can result in potentially life-threatening internal bleeding.)
- Failing to recognize and/or properly respond to signs of patient distress
- Administering medications that a patient is allergic too
- Administering the wrong dose of anesthesia.
Causes of Surgery Mistakes
Among the primary causes of surgery mistakes include:
- Surgeons, nurses or other medical professionals not being sufficiently trained or experienced at performing a given operation
- Medical professionals being overworked and, as a result, excessively fatigued (which is likely to occur when they pull double shifts)
- Medical professionals abusing drugs
- Hospitals failing to keep surgical equipment properly maintained.
St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyers
If you have been injured after undergoing surgery and believe that the mistakes of doctors or other medical professionals may be to blame, contact the St. Louis personal injury lawyers at Brown & Brown Attorneys at Law. We have a long-standing commitment to serving our clients, and we are experienced at aggressively defending our clients’ rights in any legal setting. Our goal is to preserve and promote the rights and welfare of individuals and families who have suffered injuries and losses and/or who need help navigating through the complexities of the court system.
Since 1993, our lawyers have been successfully representing our clients in various areas of personal injury litigation, including malpractice lawsuits based on claims of surgical errors and mistakes. Our unwavering dedication to the pursuit of justice in every case we handle means that we will work relentlessly to help our clients achieve the best possible outcomes to their cases. One of our primary goals is to help accident victims secure the maximum possible compensation for their injuries and losses so they can focus on their recovery and moving on with their lives. For a free initial consult, email us using the form at the right-hand side of the screen and/or to call us at 573-333-3333 for our Missouri office or at 618-888-8888 for our Illinois office.