Surgical mistakes often involve a wrong-site surgical error, where the medical professional operates on the incorrect body part or the wrong area of the patient’s body. In some cases, these errors involve surgical procedures performed on the wrong person. Even more concerning is the fact that surgical errors may involve a surgeon and his team leaving something inside the patient’s body that isn’t supposed to be left there, such as a medical sponge or surgical accessory.

Why do these errors happen?

Our medical malpractice law firm in Memphis, Tennessee knows that poor communication is often to blame for many of these errors. Surgeons, doctors, anesthesiologists, and other medical staff need to make sure they are all on the same page. Still, these issues that amount to medical malpractice often boil down to simple human mistakes or forgetfulness. Communicating the appropriate information is crucial to avoiding mistakes and preventing them from happening.

Communication errors may include:

  • Vital information left out of a patient’s records that staff needed during surgery 
  • Surgical team members failing to speak up about their concerns 
  • Surgeons and team members ignoring their suspicions and hunches 
  • General miscommunications among surgical team members and staff 
  • And more

Specific kinds of surgeries may be more prone to mistakes being made. The “why” and the “how” of these surgical errors often differ depending on the surgical issues at hand.

Can injured patients pursue claims for financial damages?

Although surgical errors are considered rare, that fact is certainly no consolation for those individuals who have been harmed or injured by these incidents. Indeed, most of these surgical errors should not have happened in the first place, which is troubling. That said, injured patients can find comfort in the fact that they have the right to seek financial compensation for their harm in court with the help of a Memphis, TN medical malpractice law firm. Although no amount of legal intervention and monetary compensation can make an injured person’s damage disappear, a successful medical malpractice suit can be a significant advantage for patients who need money to pay for medical bills, recovery costs, compensation for pain and suffering, and more.

Can a medical malpractice law firm in Memphis, TN help me?

A medical malpractice lawyer Memphis, TN patients trust knows that surgical mistakes are rather infrequent overall when you look at all the surgeries that are performed in the United States. Still, statistics show that many completely preventable errors continue to be made throughout the nation. When surgeons make mistakes, the resulting harm or injury may cause the patient significant inconvenience, both personally and financially.

At Darrell Castle & Associates, PLLC, we want you to know how to protect yourself and your family if you think a surgical mistake has been committed. If you are aware and know how to identify surgical errors, you could have fewer problems down the road. Most certainly, any surgical error that you experience provides an opportunity to hold the person or persons who committed the mistake responsible for any damage you’ve suffered. Call to speak with our medical malpractice lawyer Memphis, TN recommends today.

If you’ve been injured by a surgical error or another form of medical malpractice, Darrell Castle & Associates, PLLC is prepared to fight for every penny you need and deserve to get your life back on track. Contact us today to schedule a time to discuss your specific circumstances with our medical malpractice law firm in Memphis, TN!