Our Virginia Beach malpractice lawyers understand that undergoing surgery can be a scary proposition, even if the procedure is minor. Not only is the experience intimidating, but the incidents of surgical error that occur every day in medical facilities all over the country compound many patients’ uneasiness about the risks they face in their own procedure. And those fears may not be without validity. Numerous studies have found that out of the more than 250,000 fatal medical errors that occur each year, over 35 percent are the result of surgical errors.
Common Errors
The education and training required to become a surgeon are intense – four years of college, four years of medical school, and three to eight years of surgical residency. All of this training is supposed to teach surgeons how to avoid major surgical errors. Yet thousands of patients are injured because of careless surgical errors. It is estimated that surgeons leave foreign objects (i.e., sponges, tools, towels) inside patients about 40 times per week, resulting in excruciating pain, dangerous infections, and other medical complications.
Some of the more common causes of surgical errors are:
- Inadequate or poor communication between medical staff resulting in the incorrect body part operated on or other preventable surgical errors.
- Failure of medical staff to perform a complete and thorough preoperative plan on the patient. This should include all information regarding the patient’s medical history.
- A member of the surgical team under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
- A member of the surgical team suffering from extreme fatigue because of lack of sleep. Surgeons, nurses, and other medical staff are often required to work long shifts without regular breaks.
- Inadequate training or incompetence on the part of a member of the surgical team.
Medical Liability
Virginia injury law allows victims to pursue financial compensation for the losses they have suffered due to the actions of medical staff. These claims can be pursued through a medical malpractice lawsuit. Victims can be compensated for their additional medical expenses, loss of income, pain and suffering, mental anguish, and more. If the victim dies as a result of medical negligence, their family can pursue their wrongful death.
Surgeons can be held responsible for failing to ensure that everyone on their surgical team has the training and experience to meet the expected standard of care. The medical facility where a surgical error occurred may also be held responsible for failing to ensure the surgeon met his or her duty to practice safely or for failing to provide the surgeon with the training, staff, and tools needed to protect the patient.
Medical malpractice lawsuits are often much more complex than other types of personal injury cases. First, physicians have malpractice insurance and, therefore, will have a team of attorneys fighting against the victim’s claim. This is why victims should always consult with a skilled and experienced medical malpractice attorney to ensure someone is advocating for them.
Call Our Personal Injury Law Firm Today
The legal team at Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp has successfully represented many clients and their families who suffered serious injury or illness because of the negligence or carelessness of a doctor or other medical staff.
Our Virginia medical malpractice attorneys understand the overwhelming stress these types of mistakes can have on families and work diligently to obtain financial compensation because of the harm victims suffered when medical staff failed to provide the necessary medical treatment, like the $2.23 million wrongful death/medical malpractice verdict our firm secured for one family whose mother died from a delayed diagnosis of hospital sepsis.
Contact our office today for your free case evaluation and discuss what legal recourse you may have.