Surgical errors sometimes occur before the surgery even takes place. Before an operation, surgeons perform a preop assessment of the patient to determine whether they are a candidate for the operation. Patients must meet certain indications to be considered for surgery. In addition, the patient must be assessed to determine whether they are fit enough for [...]
I came across this pretty astounding surgical error: a Toledo area nurse tossed out a healthy kidney during a transplant surgery. This kind of error, seemingly unbelievable, raises a number of interesting considerations. The article proclaims that such an error is rare. I take issue with that. Surgical errors are all too common. I [...]
IVC (inferior vena cava) filters can be implanted to protect patients against pulmonary embolism. Complications from the procedure are rare. However, we have learned of instances where the filters are placed in patients who do not need them or where they are left in patients far longer than they are needed. Under Ohio law, a medical negligence claim can arise out of [...]
One common type of surgical error occurs before the operation is even scheduled. Like the Abraham Maslow saying "if you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail," surgeons are sometimes criticized for over-prescribing surgical fixes to medical problems. Poor patient selection may rise to the level of medical negligence if (a) the patient isn't [...]
There are two types of surgical errors: avoidable ones and "known and accepted complications of the procedure." Avoidable errors occur when surgeons fail to take proper precautions during a surgery, perform wrong-site surgery or perform a surgery that is not indicated thereby putting the patient at unnecessary risk. When an avoidable surgical error occurs and harm ensues, there is likely [...]
Bariatric surgery (also called "weight-loss surgery" or "obesity surgery") is a common source of medical negligence claims in Ohio. The surgery is very dangerous, with a complication rate estimated to be as high as 40%. However, when the growing and desperate population of obese patients meet physicians who are vying to perform this lucrative procedure, risks can be understated. Medical negligence claims [...]
Medicare's inspector general released a report this week that supports what Cleveland medical malpractice lawyers have said for years: there needs to be better tracking of serious hospital errors. According to the report, "hundreds of serious errors go unrecorded." While hospital inspectors may notice problems, they do not pass this information on to the agencies [...]
Many people are nervous before "going under" during surgery. As patients, we worry about potential side effects and complications. However, we should not have to worry that our anesthesiologists or nurse anesthetists will make a mistake when administering the anesthesia. Unfortunately, serious anesthesia errors do occur. While the number of anesthesia errors has gone down [...]
Doctors should be held accountable for the consequences of their mistakes like everyone else in society. If you make a mistake and it causes harm to a patient that has placed his or her trust in your hands and it results in the inability to enjoy day-to-day life as you knew it before, should you [...]
Perhaps you went to the doctor for a routine procedure and ended up with a lifelong injury. Or maybe a simple mistake during surgery has left you with additional pain or required additional procedures. Regardless of how you may have been injured, you are probably wondering whether you have a case. So how do you [...]