Wrong Site Surgery Errors Still Happen

When you awaken from a surgery, that very last thing you expect is to learn that the surgeon performed surgery on the wrong side of your body or performed the wrong surgical procedure altogether. Not only did you not receive the procedure you needed (and still need), but there might be irreversible effects of the wrong surgery you did received.

Despite the fact that wrong site surgery (WSS) should never, ever happen, a published study shows that this surgical error continues to occur with alarming frequency. If you were the victim of wrong site surgery, you need aggressive legal representation from a highly experienced Ohio medical malpractice attorney right away.

Shocking Numbers

A study conducted in Pennsylvania revealed that 368 wrong site surgeries were reported at 178 different medical facilities across the state from 2015 to 2019. This means that an average of 1.42 patients suffered harm from this type of error each week for a five-year period. If this many wrong site surgeries are happening in Pennsylvania, there is no reason to believe that the incidence rate is any different in Ohio. Patients in Ohio are still regularly suffering dramatic and often permanent harm from this completely preventable surgical error.

Wrong Site Surgery is a Never Event

Certain medical errors are serious enough to be deemed “never events,” which refers to the fact that these errors should never happen. Several surgical mistakes are considered never events, including:

• Surgery on the wrong body part
• The wrong surgery on a patient
• Surgery on the wrong patient
• Foreign objects unintentionally left inside a patient
• Death during or right after surgery when there was a low fatality risk (Class I patient)

All of these are 100 percent preventable if medical professionals do what they are supposed to do, and these all demonstrate the failure to meet the required standard of care.

Wrong site surgery most often happens when medical professionals fail to properly prepare and review patient charts. This is inexcusable for a surgeon, and any surgeon who performs a wrong site surgery should be held accountable for all of the patient’s injuries and losses.

Your Rights After a Surgical Error

If you experienced wrong site surgery or another serious surgical error, you can experience many losses, including:

• Costs of additional medical treatment, hospitalization, and surgeries needed
• Lost income from missed work or lasting disabilities
• Extensive physical and mental pain and suffering
• Permanent disability or disfigurement, such as the loss of an organ

This is unquestionably medical malpractice, and medical professionals should be held accountable. The claim process is difficult, as insurance companies and doctors will try to avoid liability and limit payment. But you deserve to recover your losses, past, present, and future from this preventable medical error. You need the right legal team on your side.

Speak with an Ohio Medical Malpractice Lawyer Immediately

At The Eisen Law Firm, we are passionate about representing patients after never events and advocating for their rights. Call 216-687-0900 or contact us online to learn more about how our Ohio medical malpractice attorneys can help you.