Surgery or Anesthesia Error

Thousands of patients suffer injuries or complications from surgical or anesthesia errors every year.  Unfortunately, medical malpractice in the operating room is more common than many would like to believe.  If a patient is injured by a surgical or anesthesia error, the patient may be entitled to recover from the negligent doctor or hospital and their insurance companies.

Causes of Surgical Errors

Causes of surgical errors are poor pre-operative planning or care, lack of competence or experience on the part of the surgeon, incorrect incisions, the use of non-sterile equipment, damage to nearby organs, or nerve damage.  Some cases of medical malpractice involve surgical instruments or sponges being left in a patient that later cause serious post-operative damage.  Many cases of wrong-site surgery are reported every year.  Surgical errors can also occur in the post-operative time period.  Substandard aftercare can lead to infection, septic shock, delayed healing, and other life threatening medical consequences.

Unfortunately, hospitals and doctors occasionally overlook proper procedures in using specialized medical equipment.  Improper use of medical equipment may cause burns, scars, deformities, severe pain, loss of function to certain body parts or further injury.  In the worst case, death may occur as a result of the improper use of medical equipment.

Causes of Anesthesia Errors

A variety of errors can be made in the administration of anesthesia, including too much or too little anesthesia, delayed delivery of anesthesia, failure to intubate or injury caused by intubation, failure by the anesthesiologist to properly monitor the patient, failure to recognize anesthesia complications, or the use of defective equipment.