Surgical Mishaps
Surgery can be scary for some people. You prepare to have an operation that is intended to make you better, but sometimes things can go wrong. Surgical mishaps can leave you injured and in worse shape than before.
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In a surgical situation, three elements are necessary for a fire: an igniter, an accelerant, and fuel. All three elements will be present in most surgeries. Your safety is at risk any time these elements come too close together. The anesthesiologist is responsible for the oxidizer element. The surgeon is responsible for the igniter element. The nurses are responsible for the fuel elements and for facilitating communication amongst the team members. There is an increased risk of fire for any procedure performed to the head, neck and chest.
Surgical fires are not common, but they do occur, and they can be severely damaging. Surgical fires can be either inpatient (inside your body) or on patient (outside your body). Inpatient surgical fires aren’t always controllable – they might result from bowel gas or other variables. Outpatient fires, however, are unacceptable. If you’ve suffered from an on patient surgical fire, contact a malpractice attorney. Anesthesiologists, surgeons, and nurses are all responsible for avoiding these accidents.
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All healthcare providers in a surgery should observe a “surgical time-out” before beginning to operate. This gives them a chance to verify that you are the correct patient and that they are going to perform the right operation on the right body part, as well as take measures to prevent surgical fires.
It will be harder to bring a malpractice case against an ER physician, because that physician has no prior history with you, and has no obligation other than to treat the emergency issue. You will need to prove reckless disregard if you are filing a claim against an ER physician.
If you have suffered a surgical mishap, please call our Tampa medical malpractice lawyers today to get a free consultation.
