Wilmington Medical Malpractice And Car Accident Law Blog

Going into the hospital for a major medical operation or surgery can be nerve-wracking. While most procedures go according to plan, patients still run the risk of surgical errors when they enter a hospital. Here are some of the more common mistakes that result in legal action from patients in Delaware and throughout the country.

Many surgeries involve taking medication, such as anesthesia. When medical professionals administer the wrong amount of medication, overdoses can occur and cause serious complications or even death. Another common mix-up is receiving the wrong blood in a transfusion. Although this is a rare situation, it is the leading cause of preventable deaths at hospitals.

Even if a surgery appears to be successful, the issue of cross-contamination can have life-threatening impacts. Delaware patients should be aware of the risks of improperly sterilized equipment, as these surgical errors can lead to the contraction of bloodborne viruses like HIV and Hepatitis. A recent medical malpractice case has placed several patients at risk of such diseases after a hospital sterilization breach.

According to a state health department official, it was found that the process for cleaning the surgical instruments after orthopedic or spine surgeries at the hospital was inadequate. The hospital is now responsible for contacting all patients from the period of July 21, 2016 to Feb. 20, 2017 in order to advise them of the risk. Currently, the surgical error has been resolved and that current patients are not at risk.

Childbirth can be dangerous for either the mother, baby or both. There are numerous medical concerns that must be handled with care. Delaware mothers who have suffered injuries or their child has suffered birth injuries may be interested in one mother's ordeal following her cesarean section.

Most C-sections use epidural anesthesia for a pain-free operation for the mother. The anesthesia is popular to use because it allows the mother to be awake during the delivery of her child and results in fewer side effects than general sedation.  To administer an epidural, a doctor must place a nerve blocking medicine into the patient's spinal fluid with the use of a long needle, but the needle is removed following placement of the medicine. One woman recently discovered that part of the needle used in her procedure broke in a piece of her vertebrae.

Operating room technicians and nurses have strict protocols they must follow prior to a patient's surgery completion. All aspects of surgery are important, but the sponge count at the end of a surgery is extremely important. During the surgery, technicians and nurses keep track of the number of sponges and tools used on the patient and physically recount the items just before a patient is closed up to ensure that no items are left in the patient at completion. When items are left behind, they can cause great harm to the patient. Delaware patients may be interested to learn of a woman's ordeal involving surgical errors that left surgical tools in her abdomen following surgery.

The woman received surgery to repair a hiatal hernia and to remove a gastric band all in relation to a weight loss procedure. The surgery was performed by Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, who has become well known from the reality television show "My 600-lb Life." In the show, Dr. Nowzaradan helps patients achieve weight loss through surgery who have been unsuccessful with weight loss through diet and exercise.