Knoxville Surgery Complication Attorney
Surgery is inherently risky. And not every surgical procedure leads to a miracle cure. Nevertheless, patients have a right to expect that their surgical team will use the skill and care that other medical professionals would use. When they don’t, injured patients often need additional medical care—and some unfortunately die.
Surgical errors are common—around 4,000 a year. If your condition has worsened following surgery, or if you have reason to suspect malpractice, please contact our Knoxville surgery complication attorney at Atkins Brezina, PLLC today.
Types of Surgical Complications
Surgical complications can arise either during surgery or after. Some of the more common include:
- Wrong-site surgery. A surgeon performs surgery at the wrong location. For example, a patient might need her right breast removed, but the surgeon removes the left.
- Anesthesia complications. The amount of anesthesia a patient needs will depend on many factors, including age, weight and medical history. Complications include postoperative cognitive dysfunction and pneumonia.
- Unexpected bleeding. A surgeon might nick or cut a vein and neglect to stop the bleeding before sewing up the patient. Consequently, a patient’s blood pressure can crash, and they could die or suffer other serious complications.
- Blood clots. Being left in one position for an extended period of time can lead to the formation of blood clots, especially in the legs. These clots might then travel to the brain and lead to a stroke.
- Implements left behind. A surgeon might leave sponges or clamps in the patient.
- Poor wound care can lead to an infection, which might be resistant to antibiotics.
- Some patients die on the operating table or in the days following surgery.
Many of these mistakes end up requiring additional surgeries to correct problems, as well as longer hospital stays. Unsurprisingly, medical bills balloon and the stress on patients and their families only intensifies.
Was Your Complication Avoidable?
Not every patient comes through surgery with flying colors. There are many factors which go into the success of surgery, such as the patient’s condition before being wheeled into the operating theater and their age.
However, a doctor’s skill also matters—sometimes enormously. Surgical teams must show skill and professionalism before, during, and after surgery. They should perform critical surgical and post-surgical tasks with the skill you would find from other medical professionals in similar circumstances. When doctors and nurses fall below this standard, patients usually have a right to compensation for medical malpractice.
Some common causes of surgical complications include missing or incomplete paperwork, poor communication, fatigue, and substance abuse. We wish that surgical teams were always upfront about the errors they make, but that simply is not the case.
Have You Been Injured by Medical Malpractice?
Many of our clients contact us because they suspect something is wrong, but they have no proof. If you notice increasing pain, dizziness, confusion, or blood clots, then additional investigation is necessary. As your attorney, we can often request patient records to see if any problems were noted during surgery. We might also send you to a different doctor to identify what is going on physically.
Contact Atkins Brezina, PLLC today. Our Knoxville surgical complication lawyer is standing by to meet to review your case.
