Surgical Error Lawyers in Southern California

Common Types of Surgical Error Cases Requiring a Surgical Error Attorney

A number of different errors can be made while a patient is undergoing surgery, including:

• The patient receives the wrong medication or incorrect dosage of medication
• The surgeon performs the surgery on the wrong part of the body or on the wrong patient
• The surgeon accidentally causes nerve damage while performing the surgery
• The surgeon leaves a surgical tool inside the patient
• The surgeon performs a surgery that is unnecessary

Why Do Surgical Errors Happen?

Every surgical error case is unique, however many of these errors are caused by one of the following:

Fatigue

Surgeons who have multiple surgeries back-to-back may not be thinking clearly and may make mistakes because they are tired.

Failure to Communicate

Surgeons must clearly communicate with the patient and their team of nurses and other healthcare professionals that will assist them during the procedure. Everyone who will be a part of the procedure should understand what kind of surgery is being performed, where it is being performed on the patient, what tools will be needed, and what medications should be administered before, during and after treatment.

Negligence

Surgeons may make mistakes because they are simply acting careless. For example, a surgeon who is distracted by talking to a nurse about something unrelated may make a mistake during the procedure. Surgeons can also make mistakes when they carelessly choose to take shortcuts to speed up the surgery.

Inexperience

It’s important to find a surgeon who has experience performing the type of surgery you need. If you don’t, the surgeon may end up making an error due to inexperience.

Preoperative Planning

Surgeons and their teams must be prepared to react quickly to any complications that the patient may experience from the surgery. If the surgeon fails to plan for these complications, the patient may suffer as a result. Preoperative planning mistakes can also be made by nurses and medical assistants who fail to secure or sterilize the necessary surgical tools.

There are many other ways that surgical errors can occur. An attorney can investigate your case to determine why the error occurred and who should be held liable.