Compensation may be available for victims of surgical errors

When a person must undergo surgery, it is often a stressful time for both the patient and his or her family. Whether planned or unplanned, there are risks involved in every surgery. One of the most frightening risks is that the doctor may commit a surgical error and cause serious injury to the patient. In a recent post, this blog reported on the high number of people in the U.S. that suffer from an incorrect diagnosis or mistakes in the emergency room or local clinic. These mistakes include errors during surgery.

There are numerous surgical errors that may occur and cause permanent damage or ongoing pain to the patient. A surgeon could remove or operate on the incorrect body part, or leave a foreign object in the patient's body. A surgeon could perform an incorrect medical procedure or perform a procedure on the wrong patient. If a surgeon delegates a surgical task to a person incapable of performing such a task -- and a surgical error occurs -- the patient may be able to recover compensation for such an error. During surgery, nerve damage or injury to tissue or adjacent organs may occur. Errors also occur with the administration of anesthesia, including improper monitoring of the patient.

The hope is that surgery will provide the patient with health benefits. If a surgical error occurs, however, the patient's health may not improve, and instead he or she may suffer from long-term health consequences requiring additional medical treatment.

In the event of injury due to a surgical error, a patient may have the right to compensation. Attorneys at the Law Offices of Steven I. Kastner have experience in helping clients obtain compensation for surgical errors. For more information, please visit our Surgical Errors webpage.