Surgeon Malpractice Lawyer Fort Lauderdale FL
Going to your doctor for help is commonplace in today’s society. Believing that a course of treatment prescribed by your physician will help you is part of the healing process.
Doctors are charged with maintaining standards to keep you healthy and help you when you aren’t. They attend school and learn the expertise to provide better care for patients. What happens, then, when a doctor fails to provide a high level of care, resulting in harm to a patient? A surgeon malpractice lawyer in Fort Lauderdale Florida from Needle & Ellenberg, P.A. can help victims get the compensation they deserve.
In instances of surgical missteps, four common errors lead to medical malpractice litigation. The following is a brief overview. For more detailed information, contact a medical malpractice lawyer Fort Lauderdale FL offers from our office.
Table Of Contents:
1. Improper Incision Location
When a doctor goes to conduct surgery, few things are not planned out. These orders are typically written in the chart. One of the first things that need to be considered is where the incision should be made in the skin. It may seem like it would be a routine process and almost second nature to the doctor, but that is not always the case. If there is a charting error, or a doctor gets confused after seeing many patients, mistakes can be made, and they may cut into the wrong spot on a patient. A Fort Lauderdale FL surgeon malpractice lawyer can evaluate a case to determine if this was the cause of a victim’s injuries.
2. Anesthesia Mistakes
Anesthesia is necessary for surgery as it puts the patient to sleep, allowing the doctor to work and the patient to not feel pain or move. However, mistakes with the administration of anesthesia can happen and a patient may get too little or too much. In some cases, a doctor might administer anesthesia that a patient has an adverse or allergic reaction to. A surgeon malpractice lawyer in Fort Lauderdale FL can also help grieving families when a victim dies from an anesthesia error.
3. Errors Causing Nerve Damage
Surgery requires training and skill to perform. Many procedures, even the most routine ones, can go wrong if a doctor makes a wrong move once inside. One of the things that can happen if a doctor makes a misstep during surgery is they may hit a nerve and cause damage. When a nerve gets damaged, it may result in temporary or permanent paralysis that can affect other parts of the body serviced by the damaged nerves.
4. Closing Without Removing Surgical Instruments
You may have heard the stories about a woman waking up after surgery only to find that a doctor closed the incision and left a surgical sponge behind. Surgery requires a lot of extra hands and help. Sometimes, these surgical supplies may get inadvertently left inside a patient. Sometimes, the mistake is not known until an infection occurs or there is pain around the area.
Doctors make mistakes, and if the error was due to an oversight they should have caught, then there may be grounds for medical malpractice litigation.
While many people might associate malpractice with an error made at a hospital or while treating an illness, malpractice can occur in a broad number of ways. As a surgeon malpractice lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, FL, we know of many cases that involve mistakes made during LASIK eye surgery, as well as, other eye procedures. If you suffered an injury after LASIK surgery, please call a medical malpractice lawyer Fort Lauderdale, FL residents trust for legal advice.
Can I file a medical malpractice lawsuit if I was injured after having LASIK eye surgery or another type of corrective eye surgery?
LASIK is a form of corrective eye surgery that is meant to restore vision in certain people who are experiencing poor eyesight or vision problems. LASIK eye surgery is very common, and most people will not have any long term side effects from the procedure. If an untrained, or otherwise incompetent surgeon, causes harm to the eye; thereby, worsens the problem, you should ask a surgeon malpractice lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, FL to review your case.
Understanding LASIK Eye Surgery
Over 1 million Americans will receive LASIK eye surgery every year; however, according to the FDA, about 50,000 people will lose some or all of their vision because of medical malpractice during an eye operation.
The loss of vision could occur from any number of reasons, and may be related to other medical problems. Prior to having any operation, it is vital that the patient understands all of the potential risks – regardless of how small they might be. A doctor is obligated to take time to explain these risks; therefore, enabling the patient to make a sound decision on whether or not to proceed. If you were not explained the risks of the surgery, and you were injured, you may have grounds for a claim based upon the failure to consent. Please don’t wait to call a surgeon malpractice lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Common Errors from LASIK Eye Surgery
Not everyone will be a candidate for LASIK eye surgery. A doctor will need to review your symptoms and medical history before determining whether or not it is right for you. That being said, as a Fort Lauderdale, Florida surgeon malpractice lawyer, we know of cases that have involved a desperate doctor, in need of business, and made a patient a candidate for the surgery even though they should not have had the procedure. Although a rare scenario, it does happen. If you received LASIK eye surgery based upon nothing but a doctor telling you to go ahead with it, you may have a claim. A surgeon malpractice lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, FL can review your case to help you understand your legal options.
Another common mistake that occurs in eye procedures involves an error made during the operation. Any eye surgery must be precise. If the focus of the doctor strays, it could cost the patient their vision. The careless actions of a doctor could lead them to use the wrong tool, perform the wrong technique, or make a bad incision. With regard to LASIK surgery, there are known cases of surgeons severing the optic nerve; this results in irreversible vision loss.
Injuries that Could Result from an Eye Surgery Error
When a doctor is negligent during eye surgery, there is a wide range of effects on vision that can result. Most often, these effects involve some level of impairment that could be permanent. Vision loss of any kind can be devastating and require a person to radically change their way of life. Our medical malpractice lawyers have handled cases involving:
- Blindness
- Long term vision loss
- Loss of the ability to see contrast
- Loss of depth perception
- Blurred vision
- Chronic dry eyes
- Double or triple vision
- Seeing spots or halos
It is vital that any potential candidate is screened properly. Should your doctor fail to do this, or made a mistake during the procedure, call a surgeon malpractice lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, FL from Needle & Ellenberg, P.A.
Contact a Fort Lauderdale FL Surgeon Malpractice Lawyer for Help
If you have been injured due to a surgeon’s mistake, contact a surgeon malpractice lawyer Fort Lauderdale FL clients recommend from Needle & Ellenberg, P.A. for help.