Surgery can be scary for many patients. When you undergo surgical procedures, a patient must place their trust with the surgeon, nurses, anesthesiologists, and other doctors. The patient trusts all medical professionals involved in their procedure to follow protocol and ensure the patient’s safety to the best of their ability.

While there are inherent risks to any surgical procedures, surgeons must comply with a standard of care to minimize those risks. When a surgeon or other medical professional fails to comply with those standards, and their patient suffers as a result, they may have committed medical malpractice.

If you live in Hudson Valley and have suffered injury or illness due to a surgical error, call a Hudson Valley surgical error lawyer today. Your medical malpractice attorney can help seek financial compensation for the harm you suffered. Call now to discuss your claim with an experienced attorney.

Professional Standards of Care

Surgeons, nurses, and other medical professionals undergo years of training before they are can provide patient care. This rigorous training helps prepare surgeons for the life-and-death situations they face on a daily basis. But education and training is not the only safeguard for ensuring patients’ safety.

All doctors, including surgeons, must follow professional standards of care when treating their patients.

This standard of care requires surgeons to exercise the level of care and skill that another competent surgeon would show in similar circumstances. When a medical professional fails to uphold that standard of care, their patient may suffer devastating consequences. When that happens, the medical professional might have committed medical malpractice.

Victims of malpractice can potentially file a lawsuit against the surgeon whose misconduct caused their injury or illness.

Defining Surgical Errors

Surgeons work in a high-pressure environment where every action can have fatal consequences. These high stakes mean that surgeons must be diligent to avoid causing their patient harm. Unfortunately, surgical errors can and do occur with surprising regularity.

What Are Some Frequent Errors?

Some common examples of these errors include:

  • Failure to use sterile equipment
  • Failure to follow surgical protocol
  • Incomplete pre-operation planning
  • Anesthesia errors
  • Leaving medical equipment (syringes, sponges, etc.) inside the patient
  • Failure to inform the patient about surgical risks
  • Preventable post-operation infections

What Are “Never Events”?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has further identified other, more serious surgical errors called “never events.” The term refers to egregious surgical errors that a competent surgeon should never commit. These “never events” include:

  • Operating on the wrong patient
  • Performing the wrong procedure
  • Operating on the wrong site (for example, operating on a patient’s left arm instead of the right arm)

Never events and other surgical errors can cause life-altering damage to a patient. Victims of this kind of malpractice should call a Hudson Valley surgical error attorney as soon as possible. Malpractice victims can sue for financial compensation related to their injuries, medical bills, and pain experienced.

Contact a Hudson Valley Surgical Error Attorney Today

Did you suffer from a surgical complication? Do you believe your surgeon and the surgical staff committed an error during your operation? If so, call a Hudson Valley surgical error lawyer. You may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries.

Now is the time to hold your doctor accountable for the pain they caused. When you call, you can discuss your claim with a surgical error attorney who cares about you and fighting for the justice you deserve.