Surgical Errors

What is a surgical error?

Surgical errors are a common form of medical malpractice; a surgical error is a preventable mistake during surgery. While all surgeries involve an element of risk, a surgical error goes beyond surgery’s known risks.

At Jones & Swanson, we represent individuals who have been injured by mistakes made during surgery.

With 40 years of collective experience and notable accomplishments such as the AV® Rating from Martindale-Hubbell®, selection for inclusion in Georgia’s Super Lawyers®, and membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum®, you can be confident that we have what it takes to resolve your case!

Causes of Surgical Errors

There are a variety of reasons why surgical errors occur. In some cases, a surgeon is inexperienced or incompetent, while other times, the surgical team was ill-prepared for surgery, or there was a communication error between the operating surgeon and his or her surgical nurses.

A surgeon may take shortcuts, or they may fail to have the proper surgical equipment on hand. Other causes include fatigue on behalf of the surgeon, which is very common and incredibly dangerous.

Surgeons can even turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with the stress of their jobs, and while it may be shocking, some surgeons do operate while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Here are some of the most common types of surgical errors:

• Wrong-site surgery
• Operating on the wrong patient
• Leaving surgical equipment such as sponges or instruments inside the patient
• Accidentally nicking other organs
• Injuring a nerve during surgery
• Administering too much or too little medication

Marietta Medical Malpractice Lawyer

If you believe your surgical errors amount to a medical malpractice claim, you should speak with an experienced personal injury attorney from our firm. From a legal standpoint, these cases are complex. Your chances of success increase significantly if you hire a lawyer who handles medical malpractice claims in the Georgia courts.