You may hope that submitting yourself to surgery is in your best interest, and that it will do nothing but improve or cure your otherwise critical health condition. But most unfortunately, you may wake up from your surgery feeling physically worse than before you entered it. With this, you may be unsure as to whether you experienced surgical complications or if a surgical error caused your current health complications. Yes, there is an important distinction between the two. Read on to discover the difference between surgical complications and errors and how a seasoned New York City surgical errors attorney at Mark L. Bodner, P.C., can help you determine whether you have a medical malpractice case on your hands.
What is the difference between surgical complications and surgical errors?
On the one hand, surgical complications refer to any negative outcome that occurs during or after a surgery. For example, you may experience a blood clot during surgery, which can eventually lead to lung problems, or a surgical site infection that develops after surgery, which can potentially lead to tissue damage. Usually, though, these complications are not always preventable, even with the best medical care practiced. Rather, it may simply be due to the inherent risk of the surgical procedure and other unexpected circumstances that even the finest surgeon would have been unable to predict.
On the other hand, surgical errors are most definitely mistakes that a reasonable surgeon would have prevented or deviated from during a procedure. Then, these errors may lead to complications in the patient’s health. For example, a negligent surgeon may not have been thorough and forgot to remove a surgical instrument from a patient’s body during closing them back up. They may lead to organ damage or even death.
How do I determine whether I experienced complications or errors?
Obviously, you were unconscious during your surgical procedure, and you may not know exactly what went wrong. In other words, you may be unable to tell whether you are suffering the effects of a surgical complication or surgical error, and thereby whether you have a possible medical malpractice claim. Well, to accurately determine this, you should request copies of all your medical records surrounding the surgical procedure. This may entail the participating medical professionals’ pre-operative notes, operative reports, post-operative care instructions, and test results.
You may then pass these records off to a medical expert, who may likely be a surgeon specializing in the same procedure. They may be able to access your case and determine whether or not your surgeon failed to meet the standard of care established by the New York State medical community. Later on, if you choose to pursue a civil lawsuit against your surgeon, they may testify on your behalf and explain the reasoning behind their expert opinion.
In conclusion, if you find yourself in need of legal aid, look no further than a talented New York City hospital negligence attorney. Whether you simply have a legal question or require legal representation in an upcoming court case, our team at Mark L. Bodner, P.C., is willing to help out. Please pick up the phone and call us today.