Errors that result in a patient’s health declining or them losing their life happen every day across this country. There are a variety of reasons that they occur.
Patients may be misdiagnosed or receive a delayed diagnosis. They may be administered or prescribed the wrong drug.
These factors don’t account for the bulk of the medical malpractice cases that get filed each year though. Instead, at least one-third of such cases are filed because of surgical errors. At least one-fifth are filed because of birth injuries.
Surgical errors often are caused by carelessness. One operation may be performed on one patient when it should have actually been performed on another. Or, a surgeon may perform one procedure on a particular patient when he or she should have actually done a completely different one.
If doctors or nurses fail to count the surgical sponges and account for the tools used both prior to and after a surgery is performed, then they may inadvertently leave something behind in the patient. Or, if a doctor fails to mark the body part that the surgery is to be performed on, then they may carry it out on the wrong side of the body.
Another common reason surgical errors occur is because a doctor is too aggressive in performing a procedure and touches on some nerves or damages surrounding organs.
Birth injuries often occur for this exact reason. A baby’s shoulder may become lodged behind the mother’s pelvic bone. Unless proper precautions are taken in freeing the baby’s shoulder from behind it, then the newborn may suffer a brachial plexus injury.
A mom who is not provided with adequate prenatal care or closely monitored both during and after childbirth may suffer a stroke or hemorrhage out, resulting in life-altering injuries or death.
If you’ve suffered a catastrophic injury, then maximizing your compensation may be key to ensuring that you continue receiving the level of care that you need to remain alive. By conducting an in-depth analysis of your case, a Rochester personal injury attorney can determine whether medical negligence indeed occurred and what type of compensation is fair.
