Chicago Surgical Error Lawyer
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When a surgical error occurs, it can lead to serious injuries that have life-altering consequences for the injured patient. At Curcio & Casciato, our experienced Chicago surgical error lawyers are dedicated to holding medical professionals and their medical team accountable for medical errors and surgical mistakes. Our legal team has a strong track record in medical malpractice cases, including securing significant surgical malpractice settlements, such as a $6.3 million recovery for a client.
If you or a loved one has been harmed by a surgical mistake or other medical errors, our Chicago surgical error lawyers can help you explore your legal options through a surgical error lawsuit. Our law firm offers a free case evaluation and consultation to discuss potential surgical malpractice cases and build a strong attorney-client relationship focused on your best interests. Trust our Chicago surgical error lawyer team to fight for the compensation you deserve.
Our Chicago hospital malpractice lawyer group offers a free case evaluation to discuss legal options with surgical mistake victims and begin building a strong attorney-client relationship. Call 312-321-1111 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with an experienced surgical malpractice lawyer at Curcio & Casciato.
Do Medical Professionals Lie About Medical Malpractice?
A report by Johns Hopkins concluded that surgical mistakes and medical errors are the third leading cause of fatalities in the United States. Additionally, failure to classify known surgical errors that constitute medical malpractice separately on death certificates, the researchers found that such medical errors are a grossly under-classified cause of death, with the study determining only 10% of deaths are caused by medical error or surgical malpractice cases.
Separate studies conducted by the National Practitioner Data Bank found that at least 4,000 surgical mistakes or surgical errors deemed “never events” occurred annually. The research from the National Practitioner Data Bank regarding medical errors and surgical mistakes spanned over a 20-year period.
According to this 20-year study, the most common surgical mistake was leaving a foreign object in the patient’s body (occurring 39 times per week), followed by performing surgery on the wrong patient (occurring 20 times per week) tied with wrong site surgery (operating on the wrong body part).
This study found that surgical errors led to permanent disability in 33% of cases, and 6.6% resulted in wrongful death.
While there aren’t many studies with explicit answers to this question, when you consider that the most common surgical errors known are leaving foreign objects inside the patient’s body, operating on the wrong part of the body and performing the wrong surgical procedure, we can draw some conclusions.
Do all of the less blatant types of surgical errors and other medical errors just not occur as often as the obvious medical malpractice claims? Or do medical professionals lie to patients who have experienced surgical malpractice firsthand?
If you’ve sustained a serious injury or even death and believe that the cause was a preventable surgical error, contact a Chicago surgical error attorney at Curcio & Casciato. When a surgical error occurs or other mistakes in a medical setting, our legal team will investigate to get to the bottom of it.
Surgical Errors Our Chicago Surgical Malpractice Lawyers Commonly Handle
Our Chicago surgical mistake lawyers are experienced in handling various cases of preventable surgical errors that occur in the operating room or in a medical setting. Such surgical errors can have serious consequences, impacting a patient’s health and quality of life.
Our Chicago medical malpractice lawyer team are dedicated to helping victims of surgical mistakes and medical errors. When surgical mistakes occur, our legal team is here to help you file a surgical error lawsuit and hold the responsible parties accountable. We’re adept at handling cases for many types of surgical errors.
Here are the most common surgical errors and causes of surgical errors our Chicago surgical malpractice lawyers handle.
Foreign Objects Left in the Patient's Body
Leaving foreign objects in a patient’s body after surgery is a serious and preventable surgical error. This mistake happens when items like sponges, needles, or surgical instruments are not removed before the conclusion of a surgical procedure. This can occur due to failures in communication, improper surgical counts, or oversight as medical teams perform surgery. Foreign objects left in the body can lead to health problems that require further surgical intervention to correct.
These medical malpractice cases can be particularly challenging because the injury is not always discovered right away. However, a skilled surgical malpractice lawyer will work diligently to establish a clear link between the surgical error and the resulting harm. We collaborate with medical experts to thoroughly understand the extent of the negligence and its impact on your health. Our team negotiates aggressively with insurance companies and, if necessary, litigates in court to ensure you receive fair compensation for your future medical bills, pain and suffering, and other associated losses.
Wrong Site Surgery
Wrong-site surgery is one of the most egregious types of surgical errors, occurring when a surgeon operates on the wrong part of the body. When a surgeon operates on the wrong body site, this can lead to significant physical and emotional trauma for the patient. Common examples of wrong-site surgery include amputating the wrong limb, removing a healthy organ, or performing surgery on the wrong side of the body.
Oftentimes, this surgical error occurs due to communication errors among the surgical team, incorrect medical records, or failure to follow proper preoperative protocols. The consequences of operating on the wrong body part can lead to permanent disability, additional surgeries, prolonged recovery times, and immense psychological distress.
Our experienced Chicago amputation lawyers understand the profound impact that wrong site surgery and work diligently to recover compensation for suffering and additional medical bills.
Birth Injury
Birth injuries can cause lasting harm to a newborn, often due to medical negligence during delivery. A Chicago birth injury lawyer can help families pursue justice and compensation for the injuries sustained, ensuring the child receives the necessary care and support for their future.
Wrong Patient Surgery
Wrong patient surgery is a form of surgical malpractice that can occur due to administrative errors or miscommunication among the medical team. This can lead to unnecessary serious injuries or complications. Additionally, the intended patient’s health condition remains untreated, which can further complicate their prognosis.
Operating on the wrong patient or performing the wrong surgical procedure on a patient will always constitute a medical malpractice claim. Contact an experienced surgical error lawyer in Chicago today.
Unnecessary Surgery
When a surgeon chooses to perform surgery on a patient that doesn’t need it, this is known as unnecessary surgery. This type of medical malpractice case most often stems from financial incentives for the medical professional or surgeon. It can also result from misdiagnosis or overzealous recommendations. Victims of unnecessary surgery are subjected to the inherent risks of surgical procedures without any corresponding benefit, leading to potential complications, extended recovery times, and undue pain and suffering.
If you’re an injured patient because of unnecessary surgery, our Chicago surgical error lawyers can hep you seek compensation for suffering, additional medical expenses, and other associated losses.
Negligent Use of Surgical Tools
The improper handling of surgical tools is a surgical mistake that occurs when a surgeon mishandles or improperly uses a surgical instrument while performing surgery. Misuse of a surgical instrument can jeopardize the patient’s health, leading to complications such as internal bleeding, nerve damage, severe infection, or even permanent serious injury. These surgical mistakes often stem from inadequate training, fatigue, distractions, or a lack of proper protocols in the operating room.
Our dedicated Chicago surgical malpractice attorneys are devoted to thoroughly investigating surgical malpractice claims and holding negligent medical professionals accountable.
Anesthesia Errors
Anesthesia errors are a serious type of medical error that can occur during surgical procedures, leading to significant harm and even life-threatening consequences for patients. When an anesthesiologist administers the wrong medication or dosage or fails to monitor the patient properly throughout the procedure, this can result in serious injury, including brain damage, nerve damage, heart complications, or even death. An anesthesia error can happen due to inadequate training, fatigue, equipment malfunction, or communication errors among the surgical team.
Our Chicago anesthesia error lawyer group can investigate your medical malpractice case, identify laspses in patient safety, and ensure you receive the financial compensation you deserve.
Post-Operative Negligence
Post-operative negligence occurs when the medical team fails to provide adequate care and properly address complications after surgery. Additionally, medication errors during the post-operative period, such as incorrect dosages or administering the wrong medication, can further jeopardize a patient’s recovery. These lapses in care can result in extended hospital stays, additional surgeries, and even death.
Our medical malpractice attorneys have extensive experience in cases that constitute medical malpractice. We carefully investigate medical malpractice claims to gather evidence and build a strong case, ensuring that the negligent medical professional is held accountable.
Surgical Procedure Errors
During a surgical procedure, even the smallest types surgical errors can lead to serious injuries and complications. These surgical mistakes occur due to communication lapses among the surgical team, failure to check patient records, medication errors, or various other reasons.
Many times, the surgeon or medical professional will not openly admit to surgical mistakes unless they hear from respected medical malpractice attorneys. Our Chicago surgical malpractice lawyers understand that what seems like small surgical mistakes to the surgeon can have serious consequences. Our legal team is committed to holding medical professionals accountable and ensuring that patients receive the compensation they deserve.
Medical Burn Injury
Medical burn injuries during surgery can result in substantial pain, scarring, and long-term physical and emotional damage. Medical burn injuries can lead to complications such as infections, loss of mobility, and permanent scarring.
If you have suffered a medical burn injury, a burn injury lawyer in Chicago can help you pursue a medical malpractice case against the negligent medical professionals.
Catheter Injury
Catheter injuries during surgery can cause severe pain, infections, and increased medical expenses due to additional treatments or surgeries required to address the complications. Our Chicago surgical malpractice lawyer team can help victims hold the negligent medical team accountable and help ensure you receive fair compensation fo your injuries.
Surgical Wrongful Death
If you are dealing with the loss of a loved one due to medical malpractice, a fatal injury lawyer in Chicago can provide some measure of support during this tragic time. Our legal team will investigate the surgical errors leading to the wrongful death, determine where the failure to properly address complications occurred, and determine the value associated with your wrongful death lawsuit.
Our Chicago surgical malpractice lawyers work with medical experts to thoroughly analyze medical records and evidence to build a strong medical malpractice claim.
Common Causes of Surgical Errors in Chicago Hospitals
When health & care providers deviate from the acceptable healthcare standard of care and cause surgical errors during surgical procedures, this can lead to serious injuries or even death.
Most malpractice claims arise from the following common causes of surgical errors in Chicago hospitals:
- Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis: When a patient’s condition is incorrectly identified or not diagnosed in a timely manner, it can lead to unnecessary or incorrect surgical procedures.
- Inadequate Preoperative Planning: Failing to review the patient’s medical history, not planning the surgical approach thoroughly, or not ensuring all necessary equipment and personnel are available.
- Communication Failures: Misunderstandings, incomplete handoff information, or miscommunication about the patient’s condition and surgical plan amongst the surgical team and other medical professionals can lead to critical mistakes, including medication errors.
- Technical Errors: Including cutting the wrong tissue, using incorrect techniques, or improperly handling surgical instruments.
- Inadequate Training and Experience: Inexperienced or inadequately trained medical professionals can make critical mistakes that compromise patient safety.
Average Settlement for Surgery Malpractice in Illinois
The average settlement for surgery malpractice in Illinois varies depending on the specifics of each case. In most malpractice claims, settlements aim to compensate the patient for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other related costs.
Contact an experienced surgical malpractice lawyer in Chicago for a free medical malpractice claim evaluation.
Surgical Malpractice Statute of Limitations in Illinois
The statute of limitations for medical malpractice in Illinois generally requires that a lawsuit be filed within two years from the date the injury was discovered. This is called the statute of repose.
If patients do not recognize the surgical malpractice immediately, under the statute of repose, they can file a lawsuit two years after the date that the injury was discovered, until five years after the surgery.
Our experienced surgical malpractice lawyers in Chicago can help you understand the statute of limitations and ensure that your medical malpractice claim is filed within the required timeframe.
How a Chicago Surgical Errors Attorney Can Help With a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
Our Chicago surgical error lawyer team can provide invaluable assistance with a medical malpractice lawsuit by thoroughly investigating the circumstances of the surgical error, gathering evidence, and working with medical experts who will testify to establish negligence.
A skilled Chicago surgical malpractice attorney can guide you through the legal process, ensuring that all necessary documentation is accurately prepared and filed within the statute of limitations. Additionally, our surgical malpractice lawyers will advocate on your behalf in negotiations and court proceedings, striving to secure the compensation you deserve for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other associated losses.
Chicago Surgical Error Attorney
For over 65 years, Curcio & Casciato has been a trusted personal injury law firm in Chicago, dedicated to helping clients achieve justice and fair compensation.
If you or a loved one has suffered due to a surgical error, you don’t have to approach the legal process alone. Our Chicago surgical error lawyers are ready to help you with your medical malpractice claim.
Our surgical malpractice attorneys offer a free consultation to discuss your legal options and begin building a strong attorney-client relationship. Call 312-321-1111 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with one of our Chicago surgical error lawyers today.