Surgical errors account for many medical malpractice suits.
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Surgical errors rate among the most serious forms of medical malpractice.
Every year, approximately 98,000 hospital patients die because of such errors.
Though there are various types of surgeries, any time a patient submits to
any kind of surgery, he or she risks injury. Any member of the health care team
overseeing a procedure can commit a surgical error, whether it’s the surgeon,
the anesthesiologist, or a nurse.
Here are some common types of surgical errors considered medical
malpractice:
• Commission: This is an error in
which the incorrect procedure is performed, such as operating on the wrong body
part or performing an unnecessary surgery.
• Omission: This is an error in
which the surgical team neglects to provide a patient with the necessary care,
such as not performing an appendectomy when medically necessary.
• Execution: This is an error in
which a procedure is not correctly performed. Whether or not it results in
serious injury, it indicates that the desired result was not produced.
Other errors include using unsterile instruments, leaving an instrument
inside the body of a patient, incorrectly administering anesthesia, and
neglecting to inform a patient of potential risks and dangers.
The procedures most commonly prone to surgical errors are childbirth, gastric
bypass, cardiac surgeries, thoracic surgeries, and cosmetic surgeries. Though
those are the most common, any type of surgery could include a surgical error.