Surgical Errors

When patients undergo surgery, they place their lives in the hands of their surgical team and trust that they will receive the best possible care. Although most surgical procedures are performed successfully, bad outcomes do occur. If a bad outcome is the result of a preventable surgical mistake, patients and their loved ones have a right to hold health professionals responsible for their negligence.

Whether a surgical complication is the result of medical malpractice is often a complicated question. Therefore, it is critical to contact a medical malpractice attorney with the knowledge, skill, and dedication to effectively pursue your case.

The Providence, Rhode Island medical malpractice law firm of Gemma Law Associates, Inc., has successfully represented many victims and families who have been forced to deal with the impact of surgical errors. We are familiar with the special issues and complexities that are involved in medical malpractice. If you believe you were injured by a preventable surgical error, please contact us by calling 877-237-4591 or by filling out our online contact form.

Although not all surgical errors are fatal, the Institute of Medicine estimates that about 98,000 hospital patients are killed every year as a direct result of medical malpractice. While the majority of surgical mistakes occur during the actual surgical procedure itself, errors can also occur during the pre-operative examination of a patient or the post-operative recovery period.

Examples of Surgical Error:

• Anesthesia errors;
• Delayed surgery;
• Incorrect incisions;
• Leaving medical instruments in the patient’s body;
• Organ cut or puncture;
• Prolonged surgery;
• Unnecessary surgery;
• Using equipment that is not sterilized;
• “Wrong site” operations — surgery on the wrong patient, the wrong procedure on the correct body part, or the correct procedure on the wrong body part

Surgical mistakes can result in a host of various complications including:

• Bleeding;
• Blood clots;
• Brain damage;
• Coma;
• Delayed healing;
• Infections;
• Nerve damage;
• Organ damage;
• Paralysis;
• Psychological and emotional problems;
• Septic shock.

Surgical errors can occur during even the most common surgeries, including colon, vascular, gynecological, laser vision correction, or sinus surgeries. Mistakes made during cosmetic procedures such as those related to the face or breast, may not only be physically damaging to the patient, but may also result in deformities that leave the patient far worse off than he or she was prior to plastic surgery.

If you or someone you know sustained a preventable injury during or after a surgical procedure, Gemma Law Associates, Inc., has skilled medical malpractice and surgery error attorneys who can find out what happened. It is your right to seek monetary compensation from the responsible parties. Such compensation can ease the burden of medical bills, lost income, and support for your loved ones.

If you believe you were injured by a preventable surgical error, please contact Rhode Island surgical error lawyers Gemma Law Associates, Inc., at 877-237-4591 or fill out our contact form today. We represent clients throughout the state including Providence, Newport, Bristol, Woonsocket, Pawtucket and Cranston.