Tulsa Attorneys Representing Victims of Surgical Errors
Surgeons and other medical professionals undergo years of education and training to perform and assist in operations. Unfortunately, however, they do not always do their jobs without making careless mistakes. At The Barkett Law Firm, we handle medical malpractice cases involving surgical errors, helping injured individuals and their families obtain appropriate compensation for their losses.
Types of surgical errors
When surgeons, anesthesiologists or nurses lose focus during an operation, even a routine procedure can result in serious complications for the patient. Some of the most common types of surgical mistakes cited in medical malpractice lawsuits include:
- Leaving a foreign object, such as a sponge or towel, in the patient’s body
- Performing surgery on the wrong body part
- Performing surgery on the wrong patient
- Not performing the correct operation on a patient
- Mistakes made during c-section delivery, resulting in birth injuries
- Misuse of medical tools
- Mistakes with suturing
- Anesthesia errors
- Failure to obtain informed consent
- Post-operation infection or other complications
- Severe, unnecessary scarring
Because these events are so serious in nature, patients can suffer both new injuries as well as the worsening of a preexisting condition due to not receiving needed treatment. Sometimes, additional surgery is necessary to fix the mistake, and in some cases, a victim can suffer major complications and possibly die from his or her injuries.
Frequency of surgical errors in U.S. hospitals
Medical professionals refer to most surgical errors as “never events” because they are completely preventable if surgeons stringently follow patient safety procedures, and act with caution and care. However, John Hopkins Medicine estimates that a surgeon leaves a foreign object inside a patient’s body after an operation 39 times a week, performs the wrong procedure on a patient 20 times a week, and operates on the wrong body site 20 times a week.
While surgical errors are completely unacceptable, surgeons and other medical professionals cite several reasons for their mistakes, including tiredness, inexperience, communication errors and equipment failure. However, these reasons are not excuses. A surgeon who fails to meet the standards of the medical field should be held accountable for the damage he or she causes, and our attorneys are prepared to pursue legal action in these cases.
Talk to an experienced attorney in Tulsa today
If a health care provider’s mistake or oversight harmed you or a loved one during or after surgery, you may be entitled to compensation for your damages. In Oklahoma, contact The Barkett Law Firm for a free initial consultation to discuss a potential medical malpractice claim in your case.