One type of medical malpractice is wrong-site surgery. This is often referred to as a never event, indicating that it should never happen. But, despite the name, it can and does occur. Patients can suffer significant harm and must know what legal options they have.
But exactly what does wrong-site surgery look like? It differs from case to case. Below are three different types to keep in mind..
Performing the wrong procedure
To start with, a surgeon could carry out the wrong procedure. Maybe they believe they are supposed to remove something they are meant to be repairing. They carry out the wrong surgery, which the patient only discovers when they wake up from anesthesia.
Operating on the wrong patient
In other cases, the surgeon does carry out the correct procedure, but they simply have the wrong person. This is often a mistake made because of errors with paperwork or medical records. An example could be mixing up the records of two different patients who have similar names. This mistake is more likely if hospital staff are in a rush.
The wrong side or site
Finally, wrong-site surgery can happen when the surgeon operates at the wrong location or on the wrong side of the body. One example of this could be operating at the wrong level on the spine. Another could be operating on someone’s left wrist when they actually needed surgery on their right wrist.
All of these mistakes can lead to significant medical costs, pain and suffering and more, so victims need to know how to seek financial compensation.