California residents who have undergone surgical procedures expected their doctors to be competent and skilled. No one plans to awaken from anesthesia to learn that they were the victim of a wrong-site surgery. This is a serious problem that can lead to medical malpractice lawsuits.
Wrong-site surgeries occur more often than you might think
Wrong-site surgery occurs as a direct result of negligence. Sadly, when a patient suffers harm as a result, it might be difficult to pinpoint how a doctor was negligent. However, this problem is more common than many people think. A person might need surgery on a specific part of the body on one side, but negligence leads to a medical mistake where the doctor performs the surgery on the other side. For example, a woman needs her right ovary removed, but the doctor removes the left one instead.
Although wrong-site surgery has long been considered rare, the U.S. National Library of Medicine estimates that as many as 90% of these incidents are unreported.
How wrong-site surgery leads to medical malpractice lawsuits
When a doctor’s negligence leads to wrong-site surgery, it can leave a patient seriously injured or left with other harm. Using the above example of the woman having the wrong ovary removed, her harm would include infertility: after the wrong-site surgery, she would still need her right ovary removed, which would render her unable to have children.
Patients can also suffer harm if the wrong-site surgery is detected much later. If a person has an illness and needed a procedure as treatment, their condition could significantly deteriorate over time. In either situation, victims might decide to file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor. If the case is successful, potential damages could be awarded for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress and more.
Wrong-site surgery can leave you seriously injured and suffering severe harm. You might want to file a lawsuit against the responsible party.
