Protection from Surgical Mistakes

Recently, there have been a good amount of surgical errors—so many in fact, that studies point to a number of over 100,000 deaths per year because of it. This number has influenced some to create methods of helping to avoid medical malpractice.

One of the worse mistakes a surgeon can make is to operate on the wrong body part. In one case in 2013, a man went in to get a specific body part operated on, as it needed to be removed. Simply put, the surgeon made a mistake and removed the wrong part of it—not only stripping him of a working body part, but leaving him with a body part that was unhealthy to still have. 

There are a few ways to reduce the chance of a medical mix up. One thing to make sure to do is to ask a lot of questions; make sure the surgeon informs you of everything that will be going on. The next way is to make sure there is a friend or family member there with you, who knows you and the situation well enough to ask questions you may have missed. Another way would be to highlight the area that surgery will be performed on. You may want to consult the medical staff before doing this, but it gives them a good reminder to make sure they remember as well. Lastly, try to get to know the surgeon as well as possible before surgery. This will highly reduce the errors, because they will know exactly where to operate, and it should build a bond between you and the surgeon.

If you or a loved one has suffered as a direct result of medical malpractice, it is important to contact a well-experienced attorney today. At the law offices of Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC, we have a team of attorneys waiting to assist you. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.