Surgical Errors and Complications

When you gave consent to surgery, you probably trusted in the competence of your surgeon. Unfortunately, on annual basis, thousands of patients are injured by mistakes made by surgical teams. These injuries may be catastrophic or even fatal. They may necessitate long recovery times and result in significant emotional distress. If you were harmed or a loved one was killed by surgical errors and complications, you should discuss what happened with the seasoned Syracuse medical malpractice lawyers of DeFrancisco and Falgiatano. Many rules must be followed even before complaints are filed. Most people don't have enough saved to address the harm if their surgeons inadvertently injured them. However, we may be able to pursue damages from any health care provider responsible.

Not every surgical error is the result of medical malpractice. This is why it's so important to talk to our lawyers. Our attorneys work with experts even before filing cases to make sure our clients have legitimate claims. Many surgical errors are preventable. They may be caused by improper planning, errors before surgery, errors during surgery, incompetence, fatigue, substance abuse, and unsanitary operating room or equipment, or poor communication between healthcare providers, such as technicians and doctors, or doctors and nurses.

Never events are serious, preventable and expensive medical errors such as operating on the wrong body part. Although it is rare, operation on the wrong body part does happen from time to time. Mistake like this can result in removal of a necessary organ or lead to damage of other structures within a patient’s body. A patient may experience a higher risk of infection and sustain unnecessary scarring. If your surgeon operated on the wrong part of your body, you may be able to recover damages by establishing that the surgeon failed to abide by his professional duty of care, such that you were injured. Syracuse surgeons are expected to abide by the accepted practices of other reasonably competent surgeons in Syracuse.

When the wrong type of surgery is performed, you may also face the risk of unnecessary injuries. We may be able to hold the surgeon accountable in court, for instance, if he came to work inebriated and performed a bowel surgery you didn't need, while failing to perform the one that was scheduled. We will look at what a reasonably competent Syracuse surgeon would've done under the same circumstances to determine whether your doctor failed you.

Unfortunately, surgeons may cause surgical errors and complications by leaving a sponge or other surgical tools within the patient’s body during an operation. The tool can cause serious harm and may not be detected immediately. Additionally, the patient will need one or more additional surgical procedures to remove the sponge or tool.

Surgical errors and complications may occur due to a nurse or anesthesiologist’s failure to provide proper levels of anesthesia and monitor your loved one’s vital signs during a procedure. Anesthesia errors during surgery could result in brain damage or death. For example, lack of oxygen during surgery could result in a patient suffering permanent disability such as paralysis. An anesthesiologist should verify your medical history prior to surgery and determine whether you have any allergies or conditions that would make anesthesia inappropriate.

When a Syracuse surgeon is careless, she may damage nerves or tissues during the surgery. In some cases, nerve damage requires additional surgeries and physical rehabilitation. If our lawyers can establish that your surgeon did not abide by the professional standard of care while performing your surgery, you may be able to recover the costs of these treatments.

Surgical errors and complications may be so serious that they result in the patient's death. In New York, you may be able to pursue damages and wrongful death lawsuit if your loved one was killed as the result of an error made by a surgeon where that error was the result of your surgeon failing to abide by the professional standard of care. You will be able to recover only pecuniary losses in a wrongful death lawsuit. While nothing can truly make up for the loss of a loved one, damages can provide some relief, including financial relief in the form of funeral and medical expenses and loss of earnings, to a grieving family.

Patients injured by surgical errors and complications in Upstate New York should call us. The seasoned Syracuse medical malpractice lawyers of DeFrancisco & Falgiatano sue negligent providers in Auburn, Rochester, Watertown, Lowville, Oswego, Canandaigua, Wampsville, Ithaca, Lyons, Oneida, Cooperstown, Utica, Elmira, Herkimer, and Binghamton. Fill out our online form or call us at 833-200-2000.