The Hidden Surgical Mistakes that can Cause Serious Injuries
Suppose you had an appendectomy. While you were in the operating room, an operating assistant used sponges to mop up blood and other body fluids that got in the doctors way. Most of the time, the used sponges were placed on a nearby tray, but the doctor needed a syringe quickly. The nurse placed the gauze so it could sponge up blood and grabbed the syringe. The soaked sponge slipped behind a fold of tissue where it was forgotten.
The surgery was successful. Within days, you felt better and were soon able to return to your busy life. Although the surgery was a big event at the time, as time passed, you rarely gave it thought. Years went by and you never realized you had brought home a souvenir, but your body knew. It recognized the sponge as foreign and tried to encapsulate it by growing tissue around it. At first there were no symptoms. But after a while, you started feeling abdominal pain.
At first you blamed it on indigestion, but it got worse. You developed flu-like symptoms and took a week off from work because you were unable to eat without vomiting. You spiked a fever. Your doctor was stumped and finally suggested a CT scan.
The CT scan found the sponge. It had started to wear through your abdominal wall and had caused a significant amount of scarring. You were scheduled for immediate surgery. Unfortunately, part of your digestive tract was so scarred it had to be removed.
Your experience is not uncommon. Each year, 1,500 Americans suffer injury when sponges, needles and other objects are left in the body after surgery. They remain in the body undetected for years, until there is a problem. In the abdomen, an object may erode through the abdominal wall or cause an obstruction in the intestines. When objects are left in the lungs, they can affect breathing. To treat the injury, the object must be surgically removed.
These types of Tennessee surgical mistakes are completely preventable. It is standard procedure for operating room staff to check that all sponges and surgical instruments are accounted for after a surgery. If anything is missing, that object must be located.
When doctors make mistakes, it is patients that suffer. If you were injured because an object was left in your body after surgery, you have the right to seek compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering through a Tennessee surgery malpractice lawsuit. To learn more, contact the Memphis medical malpractice attorneys at Bailey & Greer at 901-680-9777.
Since graduating magna cum laude in 2005 from the University of Memphis School of Law, Thomas has helped make a difference in the lives of victims of serious personal injury, wrongful death, and professional negligence. Thomas has extensive trial experience in both state and federal court. Among other victories in the courtroom, Thomas obtained several impressive jury verdicts and settlements
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