Nerve Damage Can Be Medical Malpractice

Nerve damage is an ailment that can result in numerous sensations.  People can experience feelings of mild tingling to complete loss of feeling, paralysis, or even death.  Nerve damage can result for multiple reasons including trauma, fracture, disease, and medical malpractice.  Nerves are what transmit sensory reception to and from the brain.  When nerve damage occurs the many side effects can lead to a drastically altered quality of life.

If the practices of doctors and nurses are attentive, then nerve damage can often be prevented.  However when a medical professional commits medical malpractice, nerve damage can result.  Such medical malpractice can include anesthesia errors, surgical errors, failure to diagnose a condition, birth injury, and cosmetic surgery errors.  If these negligent acts were preventable, then the medical professional can be held accountable for their actions.

Depending on where the nerve damage occurred and its severity, the result can be minor or series and life-altering.  Common effects of nerve damage include:

• Loss of feeling
• Loss of mobility
• Acute pain
• Cardiac arrest
• Chronic parathesia
• Paralysis
• Death

There are inherent risks with all surgeries.  When an invasive surgery is performed incorrectly nerve damage may result.  Nerves may be severed during a surgical procedure performed by a surgeon who is negligent.  A doctor’s mistakes can also result in nerve damage, including anesthesia errors, surgical errors, and the failure to diagnose a condition.

One type of surgery that is common in the United States is back surgery.  Each year there are many people who suffer from neck, spinal, and lower back pain.  These people will often rely on surgery as a form of pain relief.  Some forms of back surgery carry with them minor risks.  Others carry more significant risks.  Surgeries with more risk include disc removal or vertebral fusion.  When a back surgery is incorrectly performed there can be serious nerve damage.  If a negligent or careless surgeon fails to deliver the standard of care appropriate for the surgery then severe nerve damage can result that leads to life-altering patient injury.

But what do you think?  I would love to hear from you!  Leave a comment or I also welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com.  You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com.