Agreeing to undergo surgery can be scary. People worry they will be harmed or killed. Surgery is necessary though in many circumstances and oftentimes improves lives dramatically. Surgery done correctly and with care is generally felt to be safe. There are risks, though, with any surgery even with the best of care. Generally, these risks are minimal and not life threatening.
The more frightening unknown is whether the surgeon and staff will be careful, competent, and not make mistakes. Mistakes can have devastating consequences to the patient in even the most minor of surgeries. For example, careless attention and slip of a scalpel can result in a severed artery, a cut a nerve, or a split muscle. These injuries can result in loss of motor skills, loss of organ function, and even death. A surgical injury can result from other errors as well. If a patient was on blood thinners, and the surgical staff did not account for that medication, it can cause a patient to bleed too much during surgery. Some of the most serious and most fatal surgery errors involve the anesthesiologist. If too little anesthesia is given, a patient could wake up during surgery and suffer terrible pain. If a patient is given too much, the patient could face lack of oxygen, brain damage, and even death.
The public holds medical professionals to a standard of care, which determines the level of skill and professionalism they need to have to perform in a community. When professionals fail to meet that standard of care, it can cost a patient dearly in the form of a surgical injury like the ones described above. An attorney can help patients and their families make up for harm caused by substandard care. If you feel you or a family member has been wrongfully harmed during a surgery, you should seek help from an experienced attorney to make up for the harm.