Surgical Mistakes
Surgical mistakes can happen during any procedure, including elective procedures for such things as cosmetic surgery. Consequences can include scarring, amputation, paralysis, coma, infection, and even death. Victims of surgical mistakes often end up losing time from work and away from home, with extra medical expenses, and permanent injuries.
Examples of surgical errors are:
- Unnecessary surgery
- Wrong site surgery
- Wrongful amputation
- Erroneous organ removal
- Surgery performed incorrectly
- Leaving instruments or sponges inside
- Patient mix-ups
- Prolonged or delayed surgery
- Puncture or perforation of organs
- Poor post-operative care (resulting in sepsis, infection, excessive scarring, etc.)
- Medical device injury
Some common results of surgical errors are:
- Death
- Paralysis
- Brain damage
- Coma
- Seizures
- Brain death (persistent vegetative state)
- Scarring
- Additional surgeries
- Nerve damage
- Spinal cord damage