Surgical Errors And New York Medical Malpractice: Still A Problem, Always A Problem

Surgery

We are all apprehensive about surgery. The thought of being knocked unconscious and other people cutting into and working on our bodies is a little unsettling. We could be self conscious about ourselves, or just downright scared about the procedure. Some of us think we may never wake up from the anesthesia. Surgery is scary.

That is why surgical errors which result in New York medical malpractice make surgery even worse. Many times these surgical errors can be completely avoided and should never happen. This is what makes surgical errors even worse and more devastating. There are many common causes of surgical errors, most which are preventable.

Communication errors remains a large problem in the medical field. This results in a significant amount of surgical errors and can be absolutely avoided. Some examples include wrong site surgery, such as operating on the left hand instead of the right hand, or wrong patient surgery. Communication errors can also be between staff while in a procedure, such as administering one drug but mishearing and administering a different drug.

Also during surgery, communication between the surgical team and the anesthesia team is very important. A person must be well-perfused and full of fluids to ensure that the anesthesia is pumping completely through the body and there are no oxygen-deprived areas. This is also important to ensure that blood pressure maintains at a save and steady rate, and does not drop too low or there will be injuries to the patient.

Other surgical errors are due to the skill of the surgical team. Perhaps the procedure is more difficult, and the surgeon’s skill level is not up to par to perform it. A surgeon is also only as good as his or her surgical team, and having an assistant surgeon or surgical staff who are still learning or not as experienced can result in more errors. This becomes more important in more difficult procedures and in more risky patients.

Some other surgical errors include hospital acquired infections. These are very serious types of infections which are almost always preventable. They result when healthcare providers fail to take the time necessary to properly clean and prepare the surgical equipment and surgical site on the patient. Hospital acquired infections can also result from healthcare staff breaching protocols and breaching the standard of care.

Thus, most surgical errors still occur do to human errors. Technological advancements and medical improvements can only help us so much. It still comes down to the human responsibility that can prevent New York medical malpractice.

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.