Most Common Surgical Mistakes

Every day, people enter the hospital for surgery and expect to wake up healed. For many, their expectations are met without issue. For others, expectations turn to fear as life-altering mistakes are discovered. Knowing the most common surgical errors can help you and your family remain vigilant as you prepare to go under the knife.

Foreign Objects Forgotten

When you have surgery, your medical team will use scalpels, sponges, gauze pads and other instruments and supplies. These are normally removed and set aside. Sometimes, though, these items are left behind in the patient and closed inside. When this happens, infection, pain and serious consequences can be the result. If you feel ill or in an way odd after surgery, be sure to consult your physician or surgeon immediately.

Mistaken Parts

You go into the hospital to have your right knee replaced. You wake up from surgery with a new left knee. It sounds like something that couldn’t possibly happen but it does. Wrong side surgery happens too often. Before you get drowsy, make sure that your surgeon knows which side he or she is operating on.

Wrong Patient

Before you get rolled down to the surgical sweet, be sure that your doctor has confirmed who you are. It sound impossible, but the wrong people are operated on every year. Doctors get tired and medical staff gets busy. Charts get mislabeled and misplaced. You do not want to have a surgery that is meant for another patient.

Anesthesia Errors

When the person controlling your wake-sleep cycle makes a mistake, you can have severe consequences. You may wake up during surgery or you may not wake up at all. Anesthesia errors are far too common in the operating room, and they are one of the most common grounds for medical malpractice suits.

Scalpel Damage

If your surgeon makes a slip of the scalpel, you could be dealing with the consequences for a lifetime. Nerve damage and muscle damage can result when your surgeon makes a slight move in the wrong direction.

If you believe that you have been the victim of medical malpractice at the hands of your surgical team, call our offices as soon as possible. Our attorneys will review your case for free and advise you how to proceed. Call now.