When going in for any surgical procedure, it can be scary. You’re putting your life in the hands of a surgeon. You expect your doctor to be trained, informed and focused. But a simple search online will show that surgical errors can happen – and the effects can be devastating, even deadly.
In June of last year, a woman went in to have her appendix removed and had a fallopian tube removed instead. In August of 2015, a patient went in to have a pelvic tumor removed and also had a kidney unintentionally removed. In December 2015, a woman had her ovaries removed by mistake during a surgical procedure. These can cause serious problems and depending on the mistake, can lead to death.
So was the case for Colleen Stefanyszyn who went in for an elective hysterectomy surgery in December 2008 and died a mere four days later. It was later found that doctors left a loop of suture material wrapped around her bowel during the surgery causing her to vomit fecal matter, her electrolytic balance became disordered, her oxygen levels deteriorated and finally, she suffered a fatal cardiac arrest.
Surgical Errors that often indicate medical malpractice include:
– Neglecting to monitor a patient appropriately
– Operating on the wrong body part
– Damaging nerves or blood vessels
– Leaving foreign objects in the body
– Transfusing incompatible blood
– Transplanting an incompatible organ
– Failing to take proper measurements before and during hip replacement surgery causing leg length disparity
When a surgical error occurs, the surgeon and hospital may be liable for medical malpractice. If you experienced an error during surgery, contact the Phoenix surgical errors attorneys at Knapp & Roberts today for a free consultation.
We are accustomed to handling difficult malpractice cases and are familiar with medical terminology, procedures, and standards of practice. We maintain relationships with well-respected physicians who are available to provide expert medical testimony to help prove your case, and who are deeply committed to improving safety standards by holding incompetent, negligent, and careless medical professionals accountable when they injure patients in the course of surgery or other medical procedures.
Legal time limits in Arizona restrict the window of opportunity to file a civil malpractice charges; so don’t delay. Call 480-991-7677 as soon as you suspect a surgical error or other type of medical malpractice has occurred.