Surgical Error Attorneys In Phoenix

Whether related to error of an attending surgeon, a surgical resident, anesthesiologist or nursing staff, surgical errors and injuries occur far too often. At Harris, Powers & Cunningham PLLC, our Phoenix surgical error lawyers understand the nature of surgical errors, and we can help if you or a family member has suffered a serious or catastrophic injury as the result of surgical error.

To get immediate assistance, contact us online or call 602-910-6779.

Common Surgical Errors

All surgical procedures carry inherent risk. However, many complications stem directly from medical negligence. If a surgeon, nurse, another healthcare practitioner or the hospital deviate from the expected standard of care during surgery, it may be a case of surgical negligence.

Some of the surgical errors that we commonly see include:

• Wrong-site or wrong-procedure errors: Operating on the incorrect body part or performing the incorrect procedure often results from communication breakdowns or carelessness before entering the operating room. For example, a surgeon might perform an arthroscopic procedure on a patient’s healthy left knee instead of the damaged right knee.
• Accidental damage to organs or nerves: Surgical tools can slip or puncture adjacent organs and nerve clusters. This may cause internal bleeding, organ failure or paralysis. For instance, a scalpel slip during a gallbladder removal can slice the bile duct or puncture the liver.
• Anesthesia mistakes: Improper dosage, failure to monitor vital signs, or missing known drug allergies can lead to brain damage, cardiac arrest, or anesthesia awareness during surgery. An anesthesiologist might fail to monitor oxygen levels and cause hypoxic brain injury during a routine procedure.
• Foreign objects left inside the body: Leaving sponges, clamps or gauze inside a patient – known as retained surgical items – can contribute to severe infections, pain and mandatory corrective surgery. In a commonplace scenario, a surgical team might miscount cotton sponges and leave one inside a patient’s abdomen, causing a life-threatening infection weeks later.
• Medication errors during surgery: Administering the incorrect drug, wrong dosage or a contraindicated medication while under anesthesia can trigger fatal systemic reactions. Injecting double the recommended dose of a muscle relaxant, for example, may contribute to cardiac distress.

Other common surgical injuries caused by malpractice include:

• Cardio injuries
• Severed artery
• Nerve damage
• Splitting a muscle
• Perforation of the bowel
• Laceration of the bladder
• Laceration of the colon
• Incorrect patient operated on

With decades of collective experience representing clients across Maricopa County, our injury team has successfully litigated a wide spectrum of complex medical malpractice claims. From catastrophic organ damage to prolonged corrective treatments, we possess the trial skills and medical knowledge needed to secure maximum compensation for your suffering.

Cardiovascular Surgery Injuries

Physicians who practice in this specialized area are generally board-certified in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, and are generally quite competent and accomplished surgeons. Nonetheless, medical errors, complications, injuries and even death can result from cardiovascular surgeries. Common problems include complications related to coronary bypass grafting including infection; questions concerning the necessity for the performance of coronary bypass grafting; strokes; and early death related to cardiac failure. Additionally, in the performance of repairs upon the thoracic aorta, complications such as paralysis, renal failure, excessive bleeding can result in the need for additional surgery and sometimes results in early death. If any of these results is related to surgeon, provider or hospital negligence, the lawyers at Harris, Powers & Cunningham can help you decide how to go about filing a claim.

Cardiovascular surgery treats defects, deformities or injuries of the heart and blood vessels, and includes:

• Insertion of a cardiac pacemaker
• Arterial aneurysmectomy
• Graft insertion
• Coronary bypass grafting
• Arterial embolectomies
• Endarterectomies
• Filter insertions
• Stent insertions

Holding A Surgeon Responsible For Their Mistake

Unfortunately, there are times when the risk of a surgery was not fully disclosed or an attending medical provider or resident student acted negligently. Although many times the surgical error is apparent to the surgeon, it is not described or contained in the dictated operative note. Therefore, even a thorough examination of the records may not reveal whether there was a deviation from the standard of care, causing injury. At Harris, Powers & Cunningham, our medical malpractice attorneys are familiar with the standard of care in an operating room, and our surgery error lawyers can help you determine whether or not you have a claim for a surgical injury.

Lawyers Helping Patients Recover Financially After Surgery

Every time a surgical procedure is performed, there are known risks related to the procedure. Some injuries or complications during surgery occur without negligence on the part of the medical providers or the hospital where the surgery took place. When surgery is elective, a patient must be told the risks to make an informed decision about whether to consent to the surgery. If elective surgery was consented to, knowing the risks, even a tragic result might not warrant a medical malpractice claim. We can help determine if your claim has merit and we will fight to get you the maximum financial recovery to help you find justice.

Contact A Surgical Malpractice Lawyer For A Free Consult

If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of surgery error in Arizona, please contact our lawyers today to discuss the nature of the injury and how we can help. Contact the Phoenix, Arizona, surgical error lawyers at Harris, Powers & Cunningham for a free consultation; email us or call 602-910-6779.