When patients undergo surgery, they trust the qualified doctor and medical facility to provide them with the best medical care possible. When surgical errors occur, patients can suffer serious injuries or even death. They may need additional medical procedures and treatments that can be expensive, painful, and stressful.
If you suspect you have been the victim of a surgical error, you must reach out to an attorney as soon as possible. The Dallas, TX and Hot Springs, AR attorneys at Rochelle McCullough are prepared to bring our extensive experience to help you recover the justice and financial compensation you need to start fresh. You can depend on our surgical error attorneys to pursue the best outcome possible.
Common Types of Surgical Errors
Surgical errors can happen at any point before or during the surgery. Errors can occur during preoperative care due to perforations of internal organs during the procedure. Also, errors can occur after the surgery due to a lack of monitoring or medication errors. The attorneys at Rochelle McCullough represent clients who’ve been injured in many different types of surgical error cases, including, but not limited to, the following types of malpractice:
- Bowel injury following abdominal surgery
- Failure to recognize and adequately treat complications post-surgery
- Leaving a foreign object in the patient’s body
- Gallbladder surgical errors
- Bowel injuries following abdominal surgery
- Operating on the wrong site
- Spinal cord injuries in surgery
- Delayed surgery
- Prolonged surgery
- Failed cataract surgery
- Errors in Joint Replacement surgery
The Benefits of Working with a Skilled Attorney
Surgery always carries an inherent risk to the patient. However, these risks increase significantly when surgeons or other medical professionals are negligent. When a patient has been injured by the recklessness of a trusted medical provider, it’s important to reach out to a skilled attorney as soon as possible. While you focus on resting and recovering, the legal team at Rochelle McCullough will work diligently to investigate your case, gather evidence, and begin pursuing the compensation you need and deserve.
Identifying the Liable Party
Regarding medical malpractice claims, victims need to prove the liable party breached a standard of care. Specifically, the victim must prove that the at-fault party’s negligence directly resulted in his or her injuries. The attorneys at Rochelle McCullough have a professional network and the resources needed to investigate the facts of your case.
After we assess the available evidence, we will identify the liable parties and begin pursuing damages. In surgical error lawsuits, medical records are incredibly important. Depositions from surgeons and other medical staff members can also be substantial evidence of negligence.
Anesthesia Errors
Anesthesia errors can include a wide range of mistakes that happen during the administration of anesthesia. Anesthesiologists are required to carefully review each patient’s medical history to form an understanding of how to administer anesthesia safely. A failure to engage in due diligence can result in the anesthesiologist administering a type of medication that could harm the patient. Surgical errors involving anesthesia include the following:
- Inaccurate dosage calculations
- Failure to consider a patient’s allergies
- Errors in administering anesthesia
- Improper monitoring of vital signs
Laparoscopic Surgical Errors
Laparoscopic surgeries have become common because they are often safer and provide patients with a faster recovery time than traditional surgical procedures. However, laparoscopic surgical errors do happen and can have devastating consequences. During laparoscopic surgeries, surgeons make two or three small incisions in the patient’s abdomen and pelvic area. The doctor will inflate the abdomen and use a laparoscopy, which is a thin, lighted telescope, to perform any necessary procedures.
Numerous errors can cause patients harm during laparoscopic surgery. A surgeon may accidentally operate on the wrong part of the body or perform or cut the patient’s organ unintentionally. In other cases, the physician may fail to take appropriate measures before and after the procedure to keep the patient healthy. Patients can also develop complications from using carbon dioxide gas during the procedure, such as embolisms. These types of surgical negligence can cause patients to develop infections or other complications.
Pursuing Economic and Non-Economic Damages
Being a medical malpractice victim can result in physical injuries and emotional injuries. The attorneys at Rochelle McCullough will diligently pursue the economic and non-economic losses you’ve suffered to cover the current and future costs of your injuries adequately. For example, when a patient has had previous invasive abdominal procedures, such as a bladder suspension, hysterectomy, or appendectomy, they may have scar tissue or adhesions.
These adhesions can cause complications for additional surgeries. When surgeons don’t take a patient’s prior surgeries into account, the patient may have serious or even fatal complications that could have been avoided. Victims of surgical errors can pursue compensation for the following types of damages:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Loss of earning capacity due to disability
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of companionship
Injuries from Perforated Bowels
Perforated bowels are another serious injury caused by surgical errors. Surgeons may cause a small tear at one point in the patient’s 40 feet of small bowel tissue during an abdominal procedure, such as bariatric weight loss surgery or gallbladder surgery.
Surgeons are required to examine every part of the patient’s intestines to ensure there aren’t any holes, tears, or perforations before closing the patient up. If they fail to detect a perforation, patients are at risk of developing peritonitis, a serious and potentially fatal post-surgical infection. Further, patients who suffer a nicked bowel during surgery due to a surgical error can develop a serious and potential infection.
Contact Our Skilled Surgical Error Attorneys Today
If you or your loved one have suffered injuries due to surgical errors, you have the right to pursue damages. Speaking to an attorney as soon as possible will give you the best opportunity to obtain the compensation you need and deserve. The attorneys at Rochelle McCullough can advise you of your legal rights and begin investigating your case to determine the best legal strategy for recovering compensation. Don’t hesitate to contact Rochelle McCullough to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation case evaluation.
We extend our personal injury and medical malpractice legal services to help clients with surgical error cases throughout Texas, including Dallas and Fort Worth, as well as in Hot Springs, Arkansas. We are committed to advocating for your rights and securing the compensation you deserve.