When you enter a hospital in Idaho to have surgery, you expect everything to go smoothly. Unfortunately, even doctors can make mistakes; however, when that leaves you injured, it can change your life. These are some common surgical errors and their effects.
Wrong-site surgery
Wrong-site surgery is one of the most common forms of medical malpractice. It occurs when a surgeon performs a procedure on the wrong part of a patient’s body or on the wrong side of their body. Depending on the circumstances, this can have devastating consequences; for example, a woman has breast cancer and undergoes a mastectomy on the affected breast, but the doctor removes the healthy one by mistake.
Foreign object left inside the patient
A foreign object left inside the patient is a common error that can leave them seriously injured. Usually, these objects include gauze or even instruments. A patient can develop an infection and need further surgery to have the foreign object removed.
Anesthesia errors
Another common surgical error is when the patient receives the wrong dosage of anesthesia. Too much can result in brain damage, coma or even death while too little can result in the patient waking up during the procedure. Doctors must take extra care when administering anesthesia and any other medication prior to, during and after surgery. If a mistake is made due to negligence, it may constitute medical malpractice.
Surgery on the wrong patient
Sometimes, a doctor performs surgery on the wrong patient. This type of surgical error can leave the person seriously injured; depending on the situation, it can also cause the patient who actually needed that surgery to suffer as well. This is especially true if time is a factor in them getting the procedure.
Surgical errors are a lot more common than people think. Sadly, they can make a patient’s condition even worse.