Alpharetta Wrong Procedure Lawyer
Surgical teams perform the wrong surgery on unsuspecting patients more often than you might guess. Whether doctors perform surgery on the wrong body part or the wrong patient, the aftermath of an incorrect surgical procedure is often devastating. If you have suffered injuries resulting from the wrong surgery, you need to contact an Alpharetta wrong procedure lawyer for information about your legal options.
When you entrust your body to a surgeon for a procedure or operation, you expect him to solve or improve your medical condition. If you receive an incorrect surgical procedure, you may end up in a worse medical condition than you were before. When this situation occurs, you may wish to consult a personal injury lawyer for advice. A group of client-centered attorneys could work with an in-house medical professional who could advise them on correct procedures and give them a leg-up in court.
Examples of Wrong Procedures
The most apparent cause of a wrong procedure occurs when surgeons perform the incorrect operation altogether on a patient. Other examples of improper surgical procedures may include situations in which doctors:
- Perform surgery on the wrong ligament or joint,
- Remove the wrong organ, or
- Perform surgery on the wrong limb.
Various loopholes in regulations and reporting requirements could result in patients never realizing that they received the incorrect medical procedure. These medical errors also remain secret from the public, which builds a sense of false trust and confidence in surgical teams by patients.
Additionally, the consequences of a wrong procedure to a patient may be significant. In all cases, patients may have to undergo further surgeries to address the original medical problem that necessitates surgery. They may suffer worsening health or pain due to a medical condition that has gone untreated due to the procedure being performed incorrectly.
Furthermore, patients could develop complications, such as infections, to any surgical procedures, which likely require further medical care and treatment. In extreme cases, if surgeons amputate a wrong limb, patients could suffer permanent impairment that has no remedy. Since the results and costs of a wrongful procedure could be catastrophic, consulting a wrong procedure attorney in Alpharetta in this situation may be beneficial.
Protocols to Prevent Wrong Procedures
The Joint Commission, which accredits health care facilities in the U.S., has developed universal protocols that surgical staff should follow before any surgical procedures. These protocols are designed to protect patients from wrong surgical procedures. Some of these protocols include the following:
- Labeling the operation site on the limb of the patient and writing “no” on the other limb, and
- Mandatory breaks to review x-rays, medical records, and patient identification before making an incision.
Following these protocols could result in a better chance of surgeons performing the correct procedures on the right patients. Although these protocols take extra time and effort, surgical teams are composed of humans who do make mistakes. Professional medical providers should take advantage of any means to avoid harming their patients.
Unfortunately, surgical teams regularly fail to abide by some or all these protocols, which could result in disaster for the patients who are subject to the surgical procedure. Failure to follow these protocols easily may result in a patient receiving the wrong surgery. When these errors occur, a wrong procedure lawyer in Alpharetta could gauge whether a medical malpractice suit is a viable option. If a victim does have a claim, attorneys could present a victim’s case in court with the assistance of cutting-edge technology.
Alpharetta Wrong Procedure Attorney
Surgeons, like all medical professionals, have a duty to treat their patients with care that follows accepted professional standards. When they disregard standard protocols or otherwise make medical mistakes, there are often consequences. As an Alpharetta wrong procedure lawyer may advise, one of the potential implications of an incorrect procedure is a medical malpractice claim.
Discerning whether a medical error occurred and how it occurred is not always an easy task. Hospitals and doctors have no incentive to admit their mistakes to patients and often go to great lengths to cover up these errors out of fear of liability. Legal counsel may be able to get to the bottom of any wrong procedures that you believe have occurred. Reach out to a team of client-centered attorneys who could review your case for free and speak directly with you, even after typical hours.
