Surgical Errors in Coral Gables

Medical Malpractice Attorney for "Never Events"

Surgical errors are events that should never have happened in the first place, thus earning them the name of "never events," as referred to by some professionals in the medical and legal fields. Ironically, these never events are estimated to occur more than 4,000 times a year in the United States, as projected by research from the Johns Hopkins University. The same research reveals that more than 80,000 never events occurred during the 10-year period between 1990 and 2010.

Close to 40 times a week, it's estimated that a surgeon will leave a foreign object inside the body of the patient they are treating. Foreign objects include sponges, towels, and even medical devices. Another 20 times during the week, it's estimated that a surgeon will perform the wrong surgery or operate on the wrong body.

These statistics clearly indicate a problem in the medical field, and it's a problem that needs to be addressed. If you or a loved one was harmed during a surgical error, you should not wait to start looking for a personal injury attorney in Coral Gables, Florida.

Types of Surgical Error: How were you injured?

The number of surgical error occurrences every year in the U.S. is not a coincidence. Far too often, the medical professionals who report to the operating room are not fully prepared for the surgery that is ahead of them, and sometimes the results show exactly that. Although surgical errors are generally unexpected, they are always avoidable, thus making them instances that need to be addressed by the legal system.

Among the most common types of surgical errors include:

• Applying an incorrect amount of anesthesia
• Using an incorrect surgical instrument
• Utilizing improper surgical techniques
• Following up with a surgery inadequately
• Performing surgery on the wrong patient
• Prolonging a surgery that needs immediate attention
• Working in unsanitary conditions
• Monitoring a patient inadequately
• Failing to properly pre-plan for the surgery
• Employing inadequately trained surgeons
• Operating on the wrong organ

The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) handles all medical malpractice claims and calculates the total number of wrong-site surgeries, wrong-patient surgeries, and wrong-procedure surgeries in any given year. Over a 20-year period, the NPDB found that more than 9,744 paid medical malpractice claims cost over $1.3 million. If you are among the victims who suffered at the hands of a surgical error of this nature, then we urge you to speak with an attorney at our office.

Contact the Mesa Law Firm

Medical malpractice cases such as those that concern surgical errors are very serious in nature, and as such, they can also be very complex. Therefore, you should not attempt to address this type of case without first acquiring skilled legal representation to help you do so. You need a lawyer for your medical malpractice case in Coral Gables if you want the best chance at success. At the Mesa Law Firm, our personal injury attorney is fully invested in the efforts that we made toward obtaining compensation for the victims of surgical error cases.

When you work with our team, your case will be in the hands of a capable attorney who is part of team with 15 years of experience. Together, we will dedicate our time and resources to securing you the results that you both need and deserve as the victim of surgical error in the state of Florida.

Contact a Coral Gables medical malpractice attorney from our office for more information.