Surgical Errors - Miami Medical Malpractice Lawyer: Sean M. Cleary

Injuries From Surgical Errors in Miami

Every year, over 4.000 people who undergo surgery in the U.S. end up injured, meaning there are about 40 surgical errors every week. Since 2012, medical facilities in Florida have reported 315 wrong-site incidents to the Agency for Healthcare Administration, but only 1 in 3 surgeons was disciplined for their mistakes.

Over the course of 20 years, there were more than 9.700 paid malpractice claims throughout the U.S., which cost over $1.3 billion. Nearly 60% of the victims suffered a temporary injury, 33% ended up permanently injured, while 6.6% of the cases led to wrongful death.

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Surgical Error Cases We Handle and Investigate in Miami & Florida

Although the result of a surgical error can vary in severity, everyone who was injured during surgery deserves financial compensation. Moreover, the medical team who was responsible for the mistake will also be held accountable for their wrongdoing if you decide to take legal action. Our attorney, Sean M. Cleary, has been pursuing cases involving surgical errors for over 20 years and he will gladly evaluate your situation if you contact our law firm. Therefore, regardless of the injury you sustained, please do not hesitate to call us.

The following are only some of the outcomes of surgical errors we handle:

• Brain damage
• Loss of the use of a limb
• Nerve injuries
• Organ perforation or tearing
• Lingering infections
• Death

When it comes to more specific examples of surgical errors, these are some of the most common mistakes our legal team pursues compensation for:

• Medical procedures performed on the wrong side of patients
• Performing the wrong procedure
• A procedure performed on the wrong patient
• Anesthesia errors, particularly related to allergies
• Accidentally damaging muscles, ligaments, tissue, and nerves
• Leaving surgical instruments or towels inside patients
• Failure to advise patients of all the potential risks involved in a surgery
• Misinterpretation of laboratory results and delays in treatment administration
• Disregarding the patient’s medical history and failure to construct a proper surgical plan
• Avoidable infection

Causes of Surgical Errors

A lot can go wrong during the surgery, even when it comes to the most common surgical procedure, which is why responsible hospitals and surgical teams take extensive precautions. However, even with precautions, surgical errors still happen – in Florida, more than anywhere else. The causes of surgical errors include:

• Lack of proper preoperative planning: If the surgeon does not take into consideration each and every aspect of their patient before performing the surgery, the procedure can go wrong. For instance, the surgeon may not pay attention to the patient’s medical history, whether they are healthy enough to undergo the surgery, as well as whether it is in the best interest of the patient to have the surgery in the first place.
• Surgical errors during the procedure: However, the majority of surgical errors take place in the operating room, during the surgical procedure itself. A few examples of surgical errors are making incorrect incisions, damaging nearby organs, or causing nerve damage. Other mistakes may occur during prolonged surgical procedures due to unanticipated risks which can lead to anesthesia complications, brain damage, cardiovascular problems, or even death. Nonetheless, the most obvious surgical errors include the surgeon performing the wrong procedure, operating on the wrong patient or on the wrong part of the body, as well as leaving sponges or other types of medical instruments inside a patient, thus causing postoperative damage, pain and further unnecessary surgeries.
• Postoperative injuries: Surgical errors also include injuries that occur postoperatively, because there is often a mistake during the surgery that causes postoperative complications. This category includes delayed healing, infections, and the need for further unanticipated surgeries.