It sounds like something straight out of a horror film: you go into surgery to have your left knee replaced only to have the doctor replace your good knee on the right leg. This is a wrong-site surgical error, which unfortunately continues to happen, even in 2018.
Although wrong-site surgical errors are rare, any error can dramatically diminish a victim’s quality of life. Furthermore, you will probably need a second surgery to properly correct your medical condition, which will cost more money. If you have been the victim of a wrong-site surgical mistake, contact a medical malpractice attorney right away.
Communication Errors are the Root Cause
The medical profession has long been aware of wrong-site surgical errors, as well as other preventable mistakes like wrong-patient surgery. However, interventions have not necessarily prevented mistakes from occurring. For example, surgeons tried to prevent wrong-site surgical mistakes by unambiguously marking the site that was to go under the knife. This reduced some errors but not enough.
Recently, surgeons have implemented surgical timeouts, where the surgical staff review the procedure they are about to perform. These timeouts are used before any invasive procedure and are incorporated into surgical checklists.
Nevertheless, other causes of errors include rushing, as well as mistakes made before getting to the operating room. For example, medical records might from the very beginning misidentify the site of the body that needs surgery.
Receiving Compensation for Medical Mistakes
Doctors in Florida owe their patients a duty to exercise the care and skill that other medical professionals would exercise under similar circumstances. When they fail to be sufficiently careful, patients can sue for compensation for any injuries they suffer because of their medical negligence.
A wrong-site surgical error is a fairly obvious mistake, which means that you could have a strong medical malpractice case against the doctor and other medical professionals. By holding medical professionals responsible for these errors, you can encourage surgeons, nurse practitioners, hospitals, and others to increase their safety procedures. This will increase the safety of all other people who undergo surgery in the future.
Injured in the Operating Room? Contact Us
When you entrust a doctor with your safety, it is natural to feel betrayed when the doctor ends up harming you. At Dolan Dobrinsky Rosenblum Bluestein, LLP, our team of Miami medical malpractice attorneys has obtained numerous seven- and eight-figure verdicts on behalf of our clients. To schedule a free consultation, please call 305-371-2692 or submit an online message.