Patients may be nervous before undergoing a surgical procedure. These feelings are understandable and common even though most surgeries generally go as planned as long as basic safety procedures are implemented and followed When something does go wrong during surgery, as it did to a man in another state, the effects can be devastating and life-changing for the patient and family members.
How to know if it’s medical malpractice
Some injuries result from known complications of a surgical procedure. However, there are a variety of medical errors and negligent actions that constitute medical malpractice, and are completely preventable with ordinary care. In this particular case, a patient required surgery after having a motorcycle accident. The injuries he suffered in the accident were not severe enough to prevent him from moving his arms and legs. However, the surgeon failed to order a pre-surgery MRI, and failed to use a monitoring device during surgery. Continuous monitoring of the spinal cord during surgery can alert the surgeon if an instrument is pressing on a nerve and not enough blood and oxygen is getting to the spinal column. This monitoring can greatly lessen the chance of a spinal cord injury with the potential consequence of paraplegia or quadriplegia for the patient. Here, the patient woke up from surgery and was paralyzed in his lower extremities with no function or sensation.
Understandably, the patient in this case sued the neurosurgeon that performed the surgery. After hearing all of the evidence, a jury found that the man should be compensated with $17 million to help him return to some semblance of his prior life, and to help cover past and future medical bills.
Legal help when medical malpractice occurs
No one wants to have to file a lawsuit. But, after devastating injuries resulting from clear negligence, sometimes patients have no other options. Then, pursuing a medical malpractice case may be an option. Medical malpractice cases are complex and require an in-depth understanding of both law and medicine. A Texas medical malpractice attorney can help the victim of malpractice understand the best path forward in seeking compensation for their damages.