If you’ve been injured as the result of a surgical error, you may be wondering if you have a case. Tennessee law allows patients who’ve been harmed by the negligence of a health care provider to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the most common types of surgical errors that occur in Tennessee medical malpractice cases.
1. Wrong Site Surgery
One of the most common types of surgical errors is known as “wrong site surgery.” This occurs when a surgeon operates on the wrong body part or performs the wrong procedure altogether. This type of error can happen when a surgeon fails to properly mark the operative site, or when he or she relies on outdated or incorrect patient records.
While this type of error is fortunately quite rare, it can have devastating consequences for patients. In some cases, wrong site surgery can result in the loss of a limb or organ, while in other cases it can lead to infection, internal bleeding, and even death. Given the potentially severe consequences of this type of error, surgeons must take care to double-check their work before proceeding with an operation.
2. Retained Foreign Objects (Something Left Behind in Your Body)
Retained foreign object errors are unfortunately all too common in the medical field. This occurs when a surgeon leaves a piece of equipment or material inside a patient’s body after surgery. This can happen when surgeons fail to count all of the instruments used during surgery, or when they fail to properly clean and sterilize the operating room before surgery.
Retained foreign object errors can have serious consequences for patients, so surgeons must be extra careful to avoid them. When these errors do occur, patients may need to undergo further surgery to remove the retained object, which can add to the cost and risk of their treatment.
3. Wrong Procedure Surgery
Unfortunately, errors do happen, and one of the most serious is known as “wrong procedure surgery.” This occurs when a surgeon performs the wrong procedure on a patient. Obviously, this can have devastating consequences. T
here are a number of factors that can contribute to this type of error, including poor communication between surgeons and other members of the surgical team, incorrect patient records, and surgeons performing procedures without proper training or experience. It’s imperative that these mistakes are corrected immediately, as the consequences can be tragic.
If you or someone you love has been injured as a result of medical malpractice, you may be entitled to compensation. The experienced Nashville medical malpractice attorneys at Davis & Associates are here to help. We offer free consultations, so please contact us today to schedule yours.
