Surgery can be an effective way to treat individuals who have a serious injury or illness. Surgical procedures are used on a daily basis to save people's lives. However, nurses and surgeons are humans, and because of this, they are susceptible to making mistakes like other people, even during some of the most routine procedures. In the event that this happens, it is possible for the patient to pursue legal action and potentially seek compensation for their injuries via a medical negligence claim. Here are some of the most common surgical errors that can lead to lawsuits citing medical negligence.

Foreign Objects Left Inside the Patient

Many surgeries require multiple tools, such as scalpels, clamps, sponges, pads, and gauze. The surgical team has a duty to keep track of all of the tools that are being used in the operating room. Unfortunately, however, these tools are sometimes left behind inside of the patient. When this happens, the patient can become infected and suffer from severe pain.

Incorrect Operation Site

Another situation that can warrant a medical negligence lawsuit is a surgeon performing an operation on the wrong part of the body of the patient. This is common when a body part is being transplanted or amputated, though it can occur in other instances as well. Surgeons may be rushing to perform the surgery and get a patient into the recovery room, resulting in the incorrect operation site.

Wrong Patient Surgery

One of the most alarming types of medical negligence cases is likely the wrong patient surgery case. This is when a surgeon performs a medical operation on the wrong individual. There are many ways that this can happen. For example, the surgical staff may fail to conduct the process of preoperative verification to make certain that the correct patient is undergoing the surgical procedure. As a result of the failure of this verification, the wrong person undergoes a completely unnecessary surgical procedure and must endure all of the risks that go along with the surgery. If a patient that is scheduled for one surgery receives a completely different surgery, that patient must face the risks of the surgery that they underwent as well as remain at risk for not receiving the surgery they were scheduled to undergo.

If you have been the victim of medical negligence in any one of the aforementioned situations or any other instance of medical negligence, get in touch with a medical negligence attorney in your area.