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Examples Of Emergency Room Errors And Surgical Mistakes
ER and surgery errors come in a wide variety. Here are just a few examples:
- Operating on the wrong part of a patient’s body (i.e., “wrong site surgery”)
- Leaving sponges, scalpels or other surgical instruments behind in a patient’s body
- Failing to admit someone who is in vital need of assistance
- Failing to keep the surgery or ER room sterile
- Failing to treat blood clots or pulmonary embolism
- Misdiagnosing an urgent medical condition
- Reading a patient’s test results or medical charts incorrectly
- Prematurely discharging a patient
- Failing to order CT scans, blood tests or other necessary tests
- Prescribing or administering the wrong medication
Emergency Room Cases
Going to the emergency room usually means there’s something very wrong. Often, the patient is unsure what is going on. Because the atmosphere in an ER is very fast-paced, room for error is small. A simple mistake can easily leave a patient suffering irreparable harm or death. There are a few reasons most emergency room mistakes happen.
Failure To Diagnose
Many of the mistakes that happened in emergency rooms result from emergency room personnel not running the right tests. Because quick assessment and treatment is so crucial in these moments, lack of the proper testing can result in serious consequences. For instance, if a patient is having a heart attack and the right tests are not ordered, they could die or have irreparable damage that could have been avoided.
Lost In The Commotion
Overcrowded ERs are another common source of emergency room errors. If a patient coming into the ER is not appropriately triaged, their injuries or condition may worsen while waiting to receive attention. In other instances, a doctor may not review tests that have been completed until it is too late.
Surgical Errors
A large number of hospital malpractice claims are because of surgical mistakes. Oftentimes, mistakes are due to a preventable error.
Wrong-Site Surgery Or Incorrect Operation
Surgery on the wrong part of a patient’s body is more common than you would think. It not only leaves a patient more damaged then when they went into surgery, but also forces them to endure a second surgery. Similar to this, is incorrect operation, in which a surgery that is not necessary is performed or one is not performed correctly.
Injury During Surgery
When a surgeon is reckless, they may cause harm that is irreversible. Some examples of this are: damaging internal organs, tearing muscle or nerve fibers, mismanaging anesthesia, disregarding vital signs, or leaving surgical tools and materials inside the body.
Botched Plastic Surgery
Botched plastic surgeries can be especially common due to a greater number of unqualified or under qualified surgeons. Botched plastic surgery can result in disfigurement, infections, excessive scarring, blood clots or even nerve damage.
Contact John Price Law Firm, LLC to request a free initial consultation about any potential medical malpractice case. Call us at (843) 632-5672, or send us an email today. Evening and weekend appointments are available, as are home and hospital visits.
