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Home > Surgical Errors that Lead to Malpractice

Surgical Errors that Lead to Malpractice

Trailing behind heart disease and cancer, medical negligence is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Our Dallas wrongful death attorney understands the emotional devastation caused by losing a loved one, and seeks justice on behalf of families and those lost to someone’s negligence.

If you are struggling with the recent loss of a family member, please contact the Turley Law Firm today by completing the form on this page or by calling 214-691-4025 to schedule your free consultation. We serve clients in Dallas and throughout Texas.

Common Surgical Errors

Despite the presence of well-trained professionals and strict guidelines, mistakes still happen in the operating room. Some common surgical errors that constitute medical malpractice include:

Forgetting surgical materials within patients: A disturbingly high number of patients leave operating rooms with forgotten instruments and materials still inside them. A USA TODAY study found that items are left within patients between 4,500 and 6,000 times a year. More than two-thirds of those incidents involved sponges that could potentially cause infections.

Wrong-site surgeries: These errors include operations that were conducted on the wrong patient, wrong body part or wrong side. Surgeries that involved incorrect procedures are also included in this category. These mishaps are rare, but no less terrifying. The average hospital will experience one wrong-site surgery every five to ten years, according to the AHRQ.

Anesthesia mistakes: The risks of anesthesia are typically linked more to your personal health or a specific procedure than to the medication itself. Relatively speaking, general anesthesia is quite safe, but mistakes do happen, and they include:

  • Not administering anesthesia soon enough
  • Giving too much or too little anesthetic medication
  • Failure to adequately monitor a patient during a procedure
  • Using defective equipment or devices to administer anesthesia
  • Not providing oxygen properly during surgery
  • Administering an incorrect anesthesia drug

Failure to prevent avoidable infection: In 2011, roughly 75,000 patients died during hospitalization due to infections. Research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that nearly one of every twenty-five hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection.

Representation You Can Trust

Determining liability in a medical malpractice claim depends on meticulous investigations, expert testimony and qualified representation. The Turley law firm has helped victims of medical negligence gain the justice and compensation they deserve since 1973. We understand the turmoil and suffering involved when a catastrophic injury or wrongful death happens to someone you love. We will compassionately attend to all aspects of your case so you and your family can focus on healing.

If you have lost a loved due to someone’s negligence, please contact our Dallas wrongful death attorney at the Turley Law Firm today by completing the form on this page or by calling 214-691-4025 to schedule your free consultation. We welcome clients in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and throughout Texas.

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