What Happens When Surgeons Operate on the Wrong Body Part?
Surgeons are the people we often trust the most. Many people do not expect to wake up from a surgery that involved a mistake. Some of the scariest surgical mistakes involve operations on the wrong body part. These wrong-site surgeries can lead to a variety of medical complications. If you went through a wrong-site surgery, consider asking a Wilmington medical malpractice attorney about your options.
TYPES OF SURGICAL ERRORS
Any surgical operation done on the wrong body part or site is considered wrong-site surgery. The three main types of wrong-site surgery are:
- Wrong-part surgery
- Wrong-side surgery
- Wrong-level surgery
Wrong-part surgery happens when the surgeon operates on the wrong part of the anatomy or operative field. This could mean operating on the wrong part of the leg or the wrong section of the stomach. Various complications can arise from this depending on the type of surgery and the complexity of the operation.
Wrong-side surgeries happen when operations are done on the wrong side of a patient. In other words, the surgery is done on the left side when the surgery should have been done on the right side. This can cause drastic consequences when a patient needs a kidney transplant, or the wrong limb is amputated.
Wrong-level surgery means the surgery is done at the wrong level inside the body. This can happen with spine surgeries and have serious consequences. The type of organ being operated on determines how severe and permanent these consequences could be.
If you suffered harm from a wrong-site surgery, consider contacting a Wilmington medical malpractice lawyer for guidance. An experienced lawyer can help you determine what negligence was committed and whether you can sue. You could be eligible for significant compensation.
CAUSES OF WRONG-SITE SURGERIES
There are several reasons wrong-site surgeries can happen. Knowing these reasons is important for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. A reason for the surgical error is what helps prove negligence and negligence is vital for a lawsuit to be successful.
The most common causes of wrong-site surgeries are communication errors and rushing into surgery with little preparation. Miscommunication can lead to errors on which body part to operate on at which level and what procedures to use. Surgical teams that are not within the same understanding of what will be happening are more likely to make errors.
Surgical teams that rush into surgeries without double-checking relevant details are more likely to miss those details. All it takes is one detail missed to operate on the wrong side or wrong body part. This is why many surgical teams today have a surgical timeout before the operation to plan out what will happen and check the details.
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ATTORNEY IN DELAWARE
Going through wrong-site surgery can be traumatic and expensive. Do not hesitate to ask a Delaware medical malpractice lawyer for help. Start by calling Edelstein Martin & Nelson at (302) 295-5050 for a free consultation today about your case. Our team of attorneys can help you increase your chances of compensation for medical costs, pain and suffering, and lost wages.