What is Wrong-Site Surgery?
Surgical errors result in billions of dollars in costs each year. Even more startling, it is estimated that as many as forty wrong-site surgeries occur each week. If you have undergone surgery only to wake up and discover that the wrong body part or the wrong side of your body was operated on, you deserve to be compensated for your losses.
At Parham Smith & Archenhold, LLC, our medical malpractice attorneys are dedicated to seeking justice for individuals who have been harmed in a medical setting. If you or a loved one has fallen victim to a wrong-site surgery, do not hesitate to reach out to our Greenville, SC, surgical mishap lawyers today.
Frequency of Surgical Errors in the U.S.
Roughly 4,000 surgical errors occur each year in the U.S., accounting for about 25% of all medical malpractice claims. Many of these errors are considered “never events,” since they are surgical mistakes that should have never occurred. Understandably, patients have reservations when it comes to our healthcare system, with individuals who need surgery avoiding it out of fear.
Wrong-site surgery is just one example of surgical errors, with surgeries involving the wrong patient, wrong procedure, or foreign objects being left behind trailing close behind. Although the statistics regarding wrong-site procedures are not exact, they are often underreported.
Implications of Wrong-Site Surgery
Whether it be amputating the wrong leg or removing the wrong kidney, wrong-site surgery can leave a patient with permanent or long-term disability. The most common type of wrong-site surgery is operating on the wrong side of the body, which can lead someone who already has a deficit in a limb or an impaired organ to experience further physical and emotional distress. Sadly, the individual may become permanently disabled, having to cope with being in poorer health than if they had no surgery at all.
Causes of Wrong-Site Surgery
While there is no excuse for such a preventable error, the following causes of wrong-site surgery include:
- Miscommunication between surgeons and the patient;
- The physician failed to mark the operation site before surgery;
- Lack of institutional controls to verify the correct surgical site (for example, a surgical time-out, which allows the surgical team to pause and confirm details of the surgery prior to operating);
- The physician performing an inadequate patient assessment; and
- Confusion during the surgery, specifically if multiple procedures are being performed on multiple body parts while you are under anesthesia.
A Surgical Mishap Lawyer Protecting Your Interests
A surgical patient who has been a victim of a wrong-site surgery will need to learn how to function with the physical limitations set before them. For example, a patient may undergo an elective left leg amputation after years of extensive surgeries following a motorcycle accident. When the patient wakes up, they discover that the surgeon has amputated their right leg instead. (If a surgical time-out were used, this error would never have happened.) Now, instead of one good leg, the patient has one missing leg and a left leg that is still impaired.
At Parham, Smith & Archenhold, LLC, we have helped patients recoup the medical costs associated with wrong-site surgeries. These may include revision surgeries, rehabilitative therapies, and home modifications (such as stairlifts and widening doorways to accommodate a wheelchair). The moment you realize that you have been subject to a wrong-site surgery is the moment you should reach out to our medical malpractice team members.
Reach Out to Our Greenville, SC, Surgical Mishap Attorneys
There is no denying that our healthcare system is overburdened, making surgical errors more common than ever before. If you or someone you care about has experienced long-term disability or health complications following a wrong-site surgery, the legal team at Parham Smith & Archenhold, LLC, would like to hear from you. For over 30 years, our medical malpractice lawyers have provided the highest level of legal guidance to our community, and we are ready to put our knowledge to work for you. To schedule your free consultation with a Greenville, SC, surgical mishap lawyer, we can be reached online or by phone at (864) 432-1796.