When a surgeon operates on the spine or on any part of the body that is close to the spine, any injury to the spine must be prevented. Our spines carry signals to the rest of the body. When this function is disrupted, it can mean a loss of mobility and a lifetime of paralysis. There are many ways the spine can be damaged. Some are malpractice-related. Most spinal surgery errors occur due to a surgeon's slip of the hand or poor judgment call.
To get an honest, straightforward evaluation of what happened in your case, speak to our medical malpractice lawyer Sean M. Cleary, who has the experience and knowledge to consult medical specialists and find the answers you need.
Unnecessary Back Surgery in Miami
A 40-year-old patient had symptoms of a pinched spinal nerve on her left side. Diagnostic films showed a small protruding disc on the right side of her spine but no symptoms on the left side. Although there was no medical correlation between a spinal deformity and her symptoms, clearly no cause and effect, the surgeon nonetheless recommended surgery to correct the protruding disc, which was too small to justify surgery. It was not causing any symptoms, and the standard of care prohibits surgery in such situations.
The surgeon did not fully repair the dural sheath tear because he claimed he could see the whole tear in his operating field and chose not to expose more of the spine to attempt a complete repair. However, the dural sheath tear should have been completely repaired in this surgery.
He closed the surgical site, discharged the patient, and left town on vacation, leaving no one in charge. The patient developed a torn dural sheath and ultimately paralysis. It was malpractice to leave such a patient with no one to monitor a potentially dangerous condition.
Another surgeon was called in from an unrelated group to perform emergency surgery. The failure to repair the tear resulted in an extensive second surgery and worsened the patient's symptoms, including substantial paralysis below the chest and cauda equina syndrome. The patient underwent the risky second surgery because the first unjustified surgery was done negligently.
The case settled for a large sum allowing the family to better support and care for the now-disabled family member.
If you or a loved one were the victims of poor medical judgment or negligence related to a spinal cord injury, do not hesitate to contact The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary for a free case evaluation.
Other Types of Back Surgery Mistakes in Miami
Sometimes people may end up as quadriplegic because a doctor failed to treat a condition or misdiagnosed it. Here are some examples of medical negligence that can lead to paralysis:
- Medical negligence: A patient underwent disc replacement surgery, but a surgical error caused a spinal cord injury. As a result of the surgery, the patient ended up in a wheelchair, having no movement of his lower extremities and no bowel or bladder control.
- Misdiagnosis: A patient suffering from back pain was diagnosed with a mild compression fracture by a doctor at a local hospital and was prescribed physical therapy. The pain continued to worsen and was later discovered to be a burst fracture in which a broken bone had penetrated the spinal cord, causing the patient to suffer partial paralysis of the legs.
- Wrong-site surgery: Surgeons at a Medical Center operated on the wrong location on three patients who underwent spine surgery, despite taking recommended steps to prevent such errors. This prompted federal and state health inspectors to cite the hospital for problems in the surgical service delivery. In all three cases, the surgeons apparently miscounted the patient's vertebrae and operated on a vertebra directly above or below the diseased segment.
- Delay of spinal surgery: The patient was admitted to the hospital under the care of a physician after presenting with complaints of back pain, numbness, tingling, pain, burning, and weakness of her legs, and difficulty urinating. These were signs of a neurological emergency, cauda equina syndrome, which, left untreated, would result in permanent neurological injury. The patient remained hospitalized for four days, during which time several physicians evaluated her, but no diagnosis was determined. At no time during the hospitalization did the physician arrange for an MRI of the patient's spine to further evaluate her complaints. On day four of her hospitalization, the physician discharged the patient home without a definitive diagnosis. She presented to another doctor who ordered an MRI of her back which revealed cauda equina syndrome, and the patient underwent immediate spinal surgery. However, her condition was irreversible at that time. Today, she continues to live with leg weakness, gait disturbance, and urinary and bowel difficulty.
Failed Back Surgery? We Can Help
Complex back surgery can sometimes imply communication gaps, wrong-site surgery, equipment problems, or negligence. Such medical interventions can end up causing unnecessary and many times preventable harm to the patient, especially if the risks were not carefully weighed against the benefits.
If you have questions about a possible medical malpractice case involving back surgery, speak to our experienced attorney about your personal injury. He can help you bring a malpractice claim against the responsible party/ parties. You may be entitled to receive damages for your pain and suffering, medical bills for the interventions received and the postoperative care, as well as for any lost wages.