Philadelphia Wrong Site Surgery Lawyers
Imagine going in for a routine surgery, like having your tonsils removed. The nurses and medical staff prep you, and soon you are asleep from anesthesia. The next thing you know, you wake up, and realize something horrible has happened. Your leg has been amputated. Unfortunately, this is not the plot to a horror movie, but another wrong site surgical error. Wrong site surgical errors are not as uncommon as you might think. Every year, there are around 64 cases of wrong site surgical errors in Pennsylvania, with many resulting in permanent disability, catastrophic injury, or wrongful death.
Wrong site surgery includes operating on the wrong side or site of the body, performing the incorrect surgical procedure, or operating on the wrong patient. It is considered one of the most egregious medical errors that can occur, and is almost always preventable. Something as simple as a checklist could prevent this horrific type of accident. So why do wrong site surgical errors continue to happen?
Communication failures, time pressure, noncompliance with operating procedures, or lack of formal operating procedures can result in wrong site surgeries. Other factors that increase the risk of wrong site surgery include multiple surgeons, multiple procedures, room changes, staff changes, and obesity. Because wrong site surgeries continue to happen every year, the Joint Commission, the organization that provides hospitals with accreditation developed the Universal Protocol as a way of reducing and preventing wrong site surgeries. The three steps in the protocol urges doctors, surgeons, anesthetists, and nurses to work together to verify the patient information and identity, mark the site for the surgery, and to take a time out before operating to make sure everyone in the operating room knows and is in agreement as to what they will be doing.
The experienced Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyers at Reiff & Bily have seen surgical errors that can lead to healthy organs being removed, unhealthy or cancerous organs not being removed, wrong limbs amputated, and the need for additional surgery to correct wrong site surgical errors. We truly understand how horrific a surgical error can be, and how it can affect the rest of your life and the lives of your family and loved ones. The wrong site surgical error and experienced Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyers of Reiff & Bily stand proud as a well-known medical negligence law firm where many judges, doctors, high-ranking officials, and catastrophically injured victims have turned to when faced with devastating injuries, medical malpractice, and wrongful deaths. If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury or wrongful death due to a wrong site surgical error, contact one of the experienced medical malpractice attorneys for a confidential, no-obligation consultation so we can start fighting for you.
