While doctors and surgeons must complete significantly lengthy educational programs and pass licensing tests, this doesn’t always serve the patient well. It is apparent that some doctors lack something even more basic and often not used, common sense. If you were injured due to simplistic errors that could have easily been avoided, contact a Medical Malpractice Attorney in Bethlehem PA now.
Common and Horrific Medical Malpractice Occurrences:
1. Operating on the wrong side: It is now standard procedure for medical staff to ask you on which side of your body will the doctor operate. In some cases, the technicians will write on your body in hopes to avoid these common errors. An example of this type of medical error is an incident that occurred in a Rhode Island hospital in which three different doctors operated on the wrong side of the patient’s brain within a one-year period.
2. Anesthesia errors: Surgeons are required to inquire about any experience patients had in the past in relation to anesthesia. In some cases, the patient could have an allergic reaction and die quickly, or they could be rendered paralyzed physically and mentally and remain awake throughout the procedure.
3. Foreign objects left inside the patient: There is an average of 1,500 cases each year in which medical instruments are left inside the patient. This leads to severing of arteries and organ systems when the patient moves. It also leads to deathly infections and internal bleeding, which could lead to death if they go undetected too long.
4. Removal of the wrong organ: Again, medical staff is required to ask you what type of surgery you are receiving. This is necessary to avoid errors that were written on your medical files. In reported medical malpractice cases, doctors have performed the wrong surgery altogether. Unfortunately, in some instances, the surgery caused irreversible effects.
Victims who have suffered due to a medical malpractice and lived make up a large volume of the lawsuits filed each year. However, when death occurs, the family of the patient retains the right to file on his or her behalf. If you were injured during a medical procedure, you should contact a Medical Malpractice Attorney in Bethlehem PA directly or read more here for further instruction.
