Medical Malpractice During Back Surgery: A Serious Mistake Can Change A Person’s Life Forever

Back surgery is extremely common and most people have either had it or know someone who has had such a surgery.  The back and spine is a very complex part of the human body.  There are a lot of bones, muscle, and nerves.  Moreover, the health problems related to the back can be debilitating.  Risks of surgery can be high as well.  Even if surgery goes as planned, the patient may never be able to function again.

Our experienced medical malpractice attorneys have seen cases where discectomies, foraminotomy, disc replacements, laminectomies, spinal fusions and interlaminar implants have gone wrong.  Of course all back surgeries carry risks and complications, but many times the surgery only went wrong because a medical professional committed an act of negligence.

Medical malpractice is a fancy phrase for negligence.  When such occurs during back surgery, the consequences are quite severe.  There will possible be nerve damage, increased risk for blood clots, infections otherwise preventable, recurrent conditions, and even temporary or permanent paralysis.

The patient may end up not having the original condition cured and then have a new medical problem introduced.  I am sure that you see how the patient would then need additional surgeries to fix the condition that was not repaired, and then have other procedures to fix what the medical professional harmed.

Since back surgeries are always difficult, the line between competent medical care and negligence is often hard to define.  Determining how and exactly when the doctor crossed that line is difficult as well.

But in general terms, medical professionals must treat their patients with the standard of care proscribed by the profession.  Not the profession as a whole, but in accordance with the standards in place for back surgery with adequate consideration for variances from one locality to another.

You should also know errors that which occur during surgery can also be traced back to a negligent event prior to surgery.  In fact, medical malpractice can occur at any time during the doctor patient relationship.  The doctor could have wrongfully misdiagnosed the patient, for example.  The surgery may not have been needed at all, or a different procedure should have been performed.  Doctors can also operate on the wrong back surgery patient.

The doctor could have made a negligent error after surgery as well.  Other medical professionals could have committed the mistake as well.  The anesthesiologist could have administered the anesthesia improperly.  Surgical assistants can commit malpractice too.  Surgical room nurses can also be charged with committing a negligent act from something wrongly done during the patient’s back surgery.

Patients injured during back surgery can recover medical costs, pain and suffering, and lost wages, among other things.

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.