Any type of invasive surgery comes with some inherent risk to the patient’s health. Unfortunately, hundreds of completely preventable surgical errors occur each year in the United States as a result of physician negligence.
One of the most common incidences involves retained surgical instruments. This term refers to surgical objects such as needles, sponges, clamps, and blades that are inadvertently left inside the patient’s body upon the completion of the surgery.
As any medical malpractice lawyer can attest, this can cause considerable bodily harm to the patient.
Though surgical instruments are vital to the surgical process, if retained inside the body, an instrument may induce severe physical injury. Sponges are among the surgical items most commonly left inside a patient’s body.
These instruments can provoke infection and organ failure if they are allowed to adhere to the body’s tissues. Sharp surgical instruments like needles and blades can puncture structures such as the lung or stomach and cause internal bleeding.
In the majority of cases, retained surgical instruments occur because the surgical staff miscounted the items used during the procedure.
This negligence is so widespread that Medicare and other private insurers have refused to reimburse health care providers for the follow-up surgeries needed to correct these situations.
Because incidences of retained surgical instruments are so common, patients must be vigilant about seeking rightful compensation when they are the victims of such circumstances.
A qualified medical malpractice lawyer can seek monetary damages for individuals who have incurred bodily harm from a retained medical instrument.
If you have suffered personal injury as a result of this kind of medical negligence, contact a medical malpractice attorney to determine your legal options and whether you are eligible to file a medical malpractice suit for your pain and for the financial hardship you have experienced as a result of your injury.
The Rich Firm, PC of the greater Washington DC area provides legal counsel to individuals who have experienced injuries at the hands of a medical professional, including incidents of a retained surgical instrument.
Visit our website or call (202) 529-9379 to schedule your free and confidential case evaluation with one of our medical malpractice attorneys.
