Bridgeport Surgical Error Attorneys

Lawyers for Patients Injured Due to Surgical Mistakes in Bridgeport, CT

Anyone who undergoes a surgical procedure understands the risks and the complications that can occur. However, there is a difference between unavoidable complications and preventable errors caused by negligence. When surgeons fail to follow the correct procedures, make mistakes, or engage in other forms of negligence, they can put patients at risk of suffering serious injuries. Patients who trusted surgeons with their health and safety may take steps to address the betrayal of their trust and recover compensation for their damages.

Operations that are intended to improve a patient's health may cause additional injuries that will require more surgeries, extended recovery times, and even permanent disabilities. The physical pain of these mistakes may be compounded by emotional trauma and financial hardship. At Tremont Sheldon P.C., our attorneys help patients address these issues and take steps to obtain compensation through medical malpractice claims.

Types of Surgical Errors

Surgical mistakes take many forms, and they may include:

• Wrong-Site Surgery: An operation may be performed on the incorrect body parts. A surgeon may operate on the left knee when the right knee needed treatment, they may remove the wrong kidney, or they may perform spinal surgery at the wrong vertebral level. These errors should be completely preventable when the proper procedures are followed. Before surgery begins, surgical teams should verify the planned procedure and mark the correct surgical site. Wrong-site surgeries can cause patients to undergo unnecessary operations while leaving their actual medical problems untreated.
• Wrong-Patient Surgery: Patients may be misidentified and receive procedures intended for someone else. These catastrophic errors may occur when hospitals fail to properly verify a patient's identity before surgery. A person may wake up from anesthesia to discover they underwent an operation they did not need, while someone else may not receive the necessary treatment.
• Wrong-Procedure Errors: Surgeons may perform different operations than what patients consented to and needed. For example, a patient scheduled for an appendectomy might have their gallbladder removed instead. These mistakes may occur due to breakdowns in communication and verification processes.
• Retained Surgical Objects: Patients may suffer serious complications when instruments, sponges, clamps, or other items are left inside their bodies after procedures. All items should be accounted for before closing incisions. Foreign objects that remain in body cavities can cause infections, pain, and organ damage. Additional surgeries may be required to remove objects, subjecting patients to further risks and recovery periods.
• Organ and Tissue Damage: Careless techniques, inadequate knowledge of anatomy, or rushing through procedures can lead to injuries to healthy tissues. Surgeons may nick blood vessels and cause dangerous bleeding, perforate intestines, cut nerves, or damage organs near surgical sites.
• Anesthesia Errors: Anesthesiologists or nurse anesthetists can put the lives of patients at risk when they make mistakes. Administering too much anesthesia can cause respiratory depression, cardiac arrest, or brain damage from oxygen deprivation. Too little anesthesia may result in a patient becoming aware during surgery, which is a traumatic experience that can cause lasting psychological harm. Failing to monitor patients properly during anesthesia, not recognizing adverse reactions, or using incorrect medications can cause serious injuries.
• Improper Sterile Techniques: When surgical teams do not maintain sterile environments, dangerous infections can occur. Failure to properly sterilize instruments, inadequate hand washing, or other forms of negligence can expose patients to bacteria that may cause surgical site infections. These infections may require prolonged antibiotic treatment or additional surgeries to clean infected areas, and they can sometimes result in sepsis.
• Inadequate Post-Operative Care: Failure to monitor recovering patients for complications, not responding to signs of internal bleeding or infection, or premature discharge before a person is stable can cause patients to suffer harm. Complications that develop after surgery can often be managed effectively if they are recognized and treated promptly. When surgical teams fail to provide appropriate post-operative monitoring and care, patients may suffer preventable injuries.

Legal Options for Surgical Error Victims

Victims who have been affected by surgical negligence can take steps to hold negligent providers accountable for their damages. Medical malpractice claims may be filed against surgeons, anesthesiologists, surgical nurses, hospitals, and other parties whose negligence caused harm. A person will need to prove that healthcare providers breached the accepted standards of surgical care and that these breaches directly caused their injuries. Success will often depend on gathering comprehensive evidence and presenting compelling testimony from medical professionals.

Multiple parties may share liability for surgical errors. The surgeon who performed the negligent act may be primarily responsible. Assisting surgeons who participated in a procedure may share liability. Anesthesiologists who made errors during procedures may be liable for anesthesia-related injuries. Nurses who did not follow protocols may also be liable. Hospitals can typically be held liable for errors made by their employees, and they may also face direct liability for inadequate training or supervision or other failures to protect the well-being of patients.

Damages available in surgical error cases may include compensation for past and future medical expenses, lost wages and diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. A person may recover compensation for all economic and non-economic losses caused by negligence during or after surgery.

Steps to Take After Surgical Errors

A person who has suffered harm due to negligence by a surgeon or other medical providers will want to make sure their rights are protected. In these situations, medical records can document the surgery and subsequent treatment. These records may serve as critical evidence showing what occurred during procedures, what complications developed, and how providers responded. Records may reveal inconsistencies, missing documentation, or evidence of attempts to cover up mistakes.

Second opinions from other medical professionals can help determine whether complications occurred due to unavoidable risks or whether injuries were caused by negligent practices. Their assessments can provide valuable perspectives on whether malpractice occurred.

It is a good idea to document injuries and their impact on a person's daily life. Photographs of surgical sites, scars, and complications can create visual records. Journals describing pain levels, functional limitations, and emotional struggles can provide detailed accounts of a person's suffering. This can help convey the full impact of surgical errors.

At Tremont Sheldon P.C., our experienced medical malpractice attorneys can evaluate a case. Early legal involvement can help ensure that evidence will be preserved and all procedural requirements will be met during a case. Our lawyers can send preservation letters to hospitals demanding they retain records, equipment logs, and other materials that might otherwise be destroyed. We can also work with medical experts to identify errors that occurred and demonstrate that a person suffered harm due to negligence.

We will identify all parties who share responsibility for surgical errors, and we will make sure the proper claims are filed against the liable parties. This comprehensive approach can help to maximize the available compensation by holding all negligent providers and institutions accountable. Our attorneys will calculate the full extent of a person's damages, including their future medical needs, the long-term impact on their earning capacity, and their non-economic losses.

Contact Our Bridgeport, Connecticut Surgical Error Lawyers

Surgical negligence can cause devastating harm to patients who placed their trust in healthcare providers. When mistakes in the operating room cause preventable injuries, patients can take steps to hold the responsible parties accountable and obtain compensation for their damages. At Tremont Sheldon P.C., our lawyers work with surgical error victims to help them pursue justice. We have the knowledge, resources, and determination needed to build strong cases against negligent medical providers. Contact our Bridgeport surgical negligence attorneys by calling 203-335-5145 and setting up a free consultation.