When someone goes in for surgery, they expect the surgeon to perform the correct procedure and uphold the expected standard of care. This doesn’t mean that every surgery has a positive outcome or that there are never side effects or negative ramifications. However, it does mean that they are getting the level of care they deserve throughout the procedure.
If they do not, it may be an example of medical malpractice. One way that this can happen is through wrong site surgery. There are three different forms to be aware of.
Operating on the wrong side
One of the most common issues is when the surgeon operates on the wrong side of a person’s body. They carry out a knee operation on the left knee instead of the right knee, for instance. One of the best ways for surgeons to avoid this mistake is to mark the site before the procedure begins.
Operating on the wrong patient
A surgeon will sometimes go into the operating room and perform the correct operation, but they won’t realize that they have the wrong patient. It could be that the medical records were switched or that the patient was misidentified, perhaps because their name is similar to someone else’s. If two people with similar names are seeing the surgeon on the same day, and the staff does not appropriately verify that they have the right patient, they could operate on the wrong person.
Performing the wrong operation
In other cases, the surgeon does have the correct patient who is on schedule for that day. However, a mix-up of paperwork or lack of communication among team members could lead them to perform the wrong operation. This could have devastating consequences.
If you’ve experienced this type of severe medical malpractice, you may deserve significant financial compensation, so be sure you understand all the legal options at your disposal.