When you go to a physician about a medical concern, there is always the possibility in the back of your mind that you may need surgery to address the issue. Though nobody wants to go through the ordeal of undergoing anesthesia and surgery, when we do we trust that the healthcare professionals that we have chosen will provide us with medical care that is diligent and responsible. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Sometimes when we go through surgery, errors occur. Though doctors and surgeons are human and mistakes can happen, there is a difference between an honest mistake and a mistake that reaches the level of medical malpractice. Surgical errors that represent medical malpractice are some mistakes that go beyond human error and that represent negligence and a lack of appropriate care being taken. If you have been a victim of this type of malpractice, a Philadelphia surgical error lawyer from Bochetto & Lentz will fight for your rights.
When trying to determine whether a medical mistake is actually negligent, there are a number of questions that need to be asked. Disappointed and devastated patients may assume that anything that goes wrong during a medical procedure constitutes malpractice, but that is not always the case. Establishing medical malpractice requires the ability to establish that the care that was given falls below the accepted standard of care as compared to what would be provided by reasonably competent surgeons who also practice in that area of surgery, under similar circumstances. If harm results when a patient is treated in the same way that anybody else would have treated the patient, then it is not considered medical malpractice. However, there are thousands of surgical errors that take place each year, with errors that do not fall under the category of the accepted standard of care including:
- Operating on the wrong limb or wrong part of the body
- Making incorrect incisions or using inappropriate instruments that cause harm
- Leaving equipment inside of the patient
- Performing the wrong surgery on the wrong patient
Surgical errors often take place because of inadequate preparation before surgery, a lack of communication, a surgeon operating while overly fatigued or even under the influence of drugs or alcohol, neglect, and incompetence. If you or someone you love has been injured as a result of a surgical error committed under one of these circumstances, then it is essential that you have experienced legal counsel representing you in order to ensure that you receive the appropriate compensation for the damages that you have suffered.
The Philadelphia surgical error lawyers at Bochetto & Lentz have extensive experience in providing diligent legal representation for those who have been harmed by surgical errors. Contact us today to set up a convenient appointment to discuss your case, and how we can help.
Learn more from our Philadelphia Surgical Error Lawyer HERE.
