Knowledgeable and Experienced Guidance

Surgical errors can be costly to the patient’s health

On Behalf of | Jun 22, 2020 | Medical Malpractice |

Surgery can be a scary thing. It seems as if there is always someone who has a story regarding their own or a friend’s surgical complications. The truth is, surgical errors are not common, and the majority of North Carolina medical professionals do their best to make sure that the patient is properly taken care of. Unfortunately, sometimes something does happen and a surgical error does occur.

One possible surgical error occurs when something is inadvertently left in the patient. For example, surgeons use a number of surgical items, including instruments, sponges, gauze and other supplies. It is common practice to keep track of each item as it is used and then set aside. If such an item were to be left in the patient, the results could be detrimental to the patient.

Another possible surgical error occurs when surgery is performed on an incorrect body part. For example, this can occur if the individual should be having surgery on the right knee, but the surgery is actually performed on the left knee.  With a knee, this is a major inconvenience and unnecessary pain; however, with other types of surgeries, such an error could be life-threatening.

The majority of surgeries provide the North Carolina resident with the medical help that the individual needs. There are few, if any complications; the individual recovers and is able to move on. However, there are times when a surgical error occurs and the results are catastrophic to the patient and his or her loved ones. In this case, the individual and/or family may need to pursue the possibility of a medical malpractice claim.