Staggered surgery approach could lead to surgical errors

These days, high patient volumes are the norm for most Delaware hospitals. Many medical facilities across the state are overcrowded and filled to capacity. Doctors and other medical professionals in many of these facilities are also understaffed, so providers are constantly in a rush to see more patients. To help with this, many surgeons will use an approach called staggered surgery in which they perform multiple surgeries in an assembly line fashion. This volume-based approach only makes surgical errors more likely.

A lawsuit was filed against a surgeon in another state over claims that his staggered surgery approach caused permanent injuries to a patient. According to the lawsuit, the surgeon fractured the plaintiff’s thighbone during a procedure and failed to repair it. Allegedly, the defendant was notorious for staggered surgeries, and the plaintiff’s procedure was the seventh of 14 surgeries that the surgeon performed that day.

The plaintiff claimed that the surgeon used this approach so he could rush through his procedures and see more patients, thus make more money. She said the surgeon’s alleged negligence left her with painful and permanent injuries. Reportedly, a jury unanimously found the defendant negligent and awarded the plaintiff $2 million in damages.

Those who undergo surgeries place their trust and lives in the hands of surgeons and medical providers. Unfortunately, negligence during medical procedures injures thousands of people every year in the United States. Delaware residents who have suffered due to surgical errors could benefit by seeking the services of an attorney. A successfully litigated lawsuit could provide victims and families with much-needed compensation to help pay medical bills and other expenses.