Surgery brings its own set of potential complications for the patient, and sadly, too often it results in greater harm to the patient than the original condition which required surgery in the first place. If you or your family member was injured in a surgery-related hospital accident, speak with a hospital negligence lawyer Salt Lake City trusts who can review your case at no charge. At the conclusion of the review, you will have a clear understanding of how we may be able to help you seek compensation from those responsible for your injury.
There are any number of accidents that can occur during surgery, as our hospital accident lawyer can tell you. However, some types of accidents are more common than others and these include:
Mistakes Administering Anesthesia
An anesthesiologist is not someone who simply gives the patient anesthesia. In fact, an anesthesiologist is a doctor who undergoes advanced and specialized training in order to administer anesthesia. This is because the process is complicated and if done incorrectly can cause brain and other permanent injuries, or even kill a patient. The potential danger starts even before the surgery begins.
- The anesthesiologist may neglect to research or take into account the patient’s medical history. For example, the patient may have previously exhibited indications of being allergic to anesthesia.
- The anesthesiologist may neglect to inform the patient of the risks associated with anesthesia, especially if the patient does not follow pre-operative instructions such as not eating for a designated number of hours before surgery.
During surgery, common hospital accidents during surgery involving anesthesia include:
- Administering too much or too little anesthesia to the patient. Too much anesthesia can cause brain failure or death, and too little anesthesia can cause the patient to awaken during surgery.
- Not sufficiently monitoring the patient’s vital signs.
- Defective anesthesia equipment can administer too much or too little anesthesia.
- The anesthesiologist may fail to properly intubate the patient which involves placing a breathing tube into the patient’s trachea.
Surgical Mistakes
Hospital accidents often occur during surgery. Unfortunately, they are just as often serious or even fatal. Some of the most common examples of this are:
- Puncturing or slicing into internal organs, or slicing off parts of vital organs.
- Performing surgery on the wrong area of the body or wrong appendage.
- Leaving surgical material (such as gauze) or a tool inside the body.
- Using surgical tools that were not properly sterilized which causes the patient to develop a severe and deadly infection post-surgery.
Get the Legal Assistance You Deserve After a Hospital Accident Injured You
If you were seriously harmed in a hospital accident, you may qualify for compensation to reimburse you for your injuries, including pain and suffering. A hospital accident lawyer may be able to help you obtain the maximum amount of compensation possible.
Thank you to our friends and contributors at Rasmussen & Miner for their insight into hospital malpractice.