Surgery on the Wrong Part of the Body
Most physicians, surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, and other medical professionals perform their duties competently, ethically, and with utter concern for the well-being of their patients. While these professionals may not be perfect, they are to be admired for never falling below the reasonable standard of care that we, as patients, have every right to expect from them.
Unfortunately, there are those medical professionals that make sloppy, preventable errors that cause substantial harm to the patients with whose health they were trusted. Among the most egregious types of errors are those committed by surgeons, who are expected to do their due diligence before operating on their patients. It is ultimately the surgeon’s responsibility to know:
- Whom they are operating on
- Which operation they are supposed to perform
- On which part of the body said operation should be performed
If a surgeon is not fully aware of each of these things, and the patient is injured or killed as a result, then that surgeon can be held liable for the losses and expenses caused by his or her incompetence. Among medical malpractice attorneys, Utah law firm Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC has the experience, skill, resources, and sheer tenacity to ensure that the patient’s rights are preserved if he or she has been harmed due to a surgeon’s performance of surgery on the wrong part of the body.
For further information about medical malpractice or to arrange for an evaluation of a case, please contact the Utah medical malpractice lawyers of Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC today.
Surgeons Are Responsible for Their Egregious Mistakes
Surgeons are human; they are not held to a standard of perfection. For example, consider the experience of any cerebral palsy lawyer. Utah lawyers such as those at Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC can attest that not all birth injuries are the result of medical malpractice. Sometimes, despite the best and most heroic efforts of medical professionals, injuries to patients occur.
However, there is never an excuse for performing surgery on the wrong body part. Surgeons and their teams are supposed to exercise extreme caution in ensuring that they performing the appropriate surgery on the appropriate part of the correct patient’s body before even considering the first incision. Yet, this form of blatant medical malpractice does occur, often with tragic consequences.
Most cases involving operating on the wrong part of the body occur due to “wrong-side” surgeries. For example, a procedure that is supposed to be performed on the left arm is performed on the right, or a procedure that is supposed to be performed on the right eye is performed on the left. This is a particularly harmful mistake when it leads to the amputation of a healthy limb or the performance of a timely surgery on, say, the left lung rather than the right lung.
Those who have been the victim of medical malpractice of any sort, including a surgical mistake, are encouraged to have their cases evaluated by the experienced Utah medical negligence attorneys of Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC today. The attorneys of Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC will fight for the rights of patients.
