Pittsburgh Medical Malpractice Blog

Surgical errors can be the most serious forms of medical errors. The majority of surgical errors are known as “wrong site” operations, where the surgeon operates on the wrong organ, limb or other area of the body. Other times a surgeon performs the wrong procedure and at times operates on the wrong patient.

Other types of surgical errors can occur during plastic or cosmetic surgeries such as breast implantation or reduction, as well as some facial related surgeries. Although the surgical mistakes may not threaten the health of the patient, such errors may produce results far worse than the condition that the plastic surgery intended to repair.

Solid statistics on the number of surgical errors that occur each year are hard to obtain because most states don’t require doctors to report surgical errors. Here are some measures you can take to prevent a possible surgical error from happening to you or a loved one:

1. Check out your doctor and hospital. Ask lots of questions . . . such as how many times your doctor has performed the intended procedure and compare that number with other physicians. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers detailed information about procedures performed at different hospitals.

2. Make sure your doctor initials your surgical site.

3. Confirm the surgery site with the surgeon before the procedure.

Mistakes do happen with even the most skilled surgeon. Cases involving surgical errors are very complicated and should only be handled by experienced medical malpractice attorneys. Our Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania medical malpractice law firm is one of the only law firms in Pittsburgh with medical doctors on staff to evaluate and consult on our medical malpractice and personal injury cases. The medical malpractice lawyers of Rosen Louik & Perry, P.C. offer free, no-obligation initial consultations, and there is no fee unless recovery is made. Contact us today for your free consultation.

With the increasing number of surgical procedures being performed in the United States, it’s not surprising to also see an increase in surgical errors. Errors occurring during surgery can take many forms, including:

Drug errors or medication overdoses
Anesthesia overdoses
Wrong surgical procedure, such as the removal of the wrong tissue, limb, or organ
Accidentally leaving a surgical instrument in the patient's body (including sponges, retractors,
surgical towels). The CDC says that in the last few years, this type of medical error has injured
almost 15,000 patients
Misreading a medical chart or medical history
Scalpel slips that cut into nearby organs, perforating bowels, a uterus, a bladder or a ureter
Improper medical clearance for surgery
Failure to diagnose and treat a post-operative infection
Wrong surgery for the correct diagnosis
Damage caused by a scheduled surgery, which can occur when a physician fails to inform a patient
before the surgery about the risk of damage

Even the most experienced and skilled surgeons can commit a surgical error. While every case is unique and results can vary, our law firm’s thorough investigation and dedication to provide the best legal service has contributed to our success in representing vicitims of surgical accidents. If you or someone you love has been the victim of a surgical accident, please contact the Pittsburgh, PA law firm of Rosen Louik & Perry, P.C. for your FREE consultation.

Dr. Lisa Marcucci, a trauma surgeon formerly associated with Geisinger Medical Center, has written a book entitled “Avoiding Common Surgical Errors.” In it, she identified 186 medical mistakes, some of which could involve serious consequences to patients. Dr. Marcucci’s stated goal—to help prevent such errors in the future.

In an interview with the Times Leader, a Wilkes Barre online newspaper, Dr. Marcucci stated that she was motivated to write on this subject because of numerous surgical errors that she has both seen and heard about. She related that, as a second-year resident, she attended a conference about medical errors and learned of two mistakes made by other second-year residents. One patient died after the resident removed a chest catheter while the patient was sitting upright. Another patient lost a hand after a resident attempted to draw blood from two large arteries in the same arm at the same time. Despite attending a top medical school and having completed a year of residency, Dr. Marcucci had never been taught that the actions of the two residents constituted mistakes.

Dr. Marcucci noted that doctors often confer to review errors and how to avoid them. She noted, however, that the results of such conferences fail to reach a broad enough audience, particularly medical residents (including approximately 2,300 new surgical trainees annually), interns, and young attending doctors. This latter group, as well as physician assistants and nurse practitioners, are the primary target audience of Dr. Marcucci's book. Twenty-six other physicians contributed to the book.

In the future, Dr. Marcucci plans to write a series of book on medical errors in a number of different areas of medicine. She is also developing a web site for patients planning to undergo surgery and their families. Dr. Marcucci finally noted that even though doctors in this country practice the best and safest medicine in the world, room for improvement exists and she hopes her efforts will lead to such improvement.

Source: The Time Leader