You never want to learn from your medical team that you require any type of surgical procedure. However, should this happen, you need to take the appropriate action in an attempt to get your health back on track.
Like most people in this situation, you may have concerns about the potential for surgical errors. Making matters even more complicated is the fact that there are a variety of errors that could come into play. These include but are not limited to:
- Operating on the wrong body part
- Removing the wrong organ
- Organ puncture (or some other form of damage)
- Anesthesia error
- Leaving an object in the body
- Failure to monitor your vital signs during the surgery
And of course, wrongful death is always a concern. This happens when negligence results in more than additional injury or illness, but instead the loss of life.
How to protect against surgical errors
There’s no way to guarantee that everything will go as planned with your surgery. Mistakes happen and when they do, the health of the patient is at risk.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of a surgical error:
- Choose an experienced surgeon: Someone who has experience with your medical ailment will know exactly what to do (and what not to do).
- Review the details: On the day of your surgery, review the details of your procedure with your surgeon. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask for clarification before you proceed.
- Ask questions: You have every right to ask any question that’s on your mind. How long will the procedure take? What steps do you take to ensure my health during the procedure? If it’s on your mind, it’s critical that you get your thoughts into the open.
Should you or a loved one be the victim of a surgical error, it’s important to learn more about what went wrong and your options for resolving the problem.
From there, it’s also a good idea to get a second opinion, as you want to know which options are available to you. And then, as time and your health allows, consider if you have grounds for protecting your legal rights as a patient.