Surgical Errors

Surgery and Anesthesia Mistakes

Surgeons, anesthesiologists and all operating room personnel have an obligation to ensure the safety of patients. The guiding principal of medicine is, “First, do no harm.” The patient is the only one guaranteed to pay – in terms of pain, life-changing injury, additional surgery or even wrongful death – when an error happens in the OR. Therefore, physicians and hospitals must be held accountable for their surgical and anesthesia errors.

Medical Malpractice Attorneys

At Gray Ritter Graham in St. Louis, our medical malpractice lawyers and staff have in-depth knowledge of medical practices, a network of medical experts, and the finances to investigate and litigate medical malpractice cases. Two of our attorneys have medical backgrounds, and our nurses provide a valuable perspective into medical malpractice cases.

• The wrong type or dosage of anesthesia can deprive the brain of oxygen and damage other organs. Patients on anesthesia should be carefully monitored, and any condition changes should be dealt with appropriately and immediately.
• Positional errors – how a patient is positioned on the operating table – during and after surgery can cause serious injuries.
• A failure to monitor a patient’s vital signs and respond to changes can cause irreversible damages, including brain injury.
• Doctors may not have adequate training on new operating equipment. In too many cases, a doctor’s training may have consisted of a seminar or a tutorial from a sales representative without adequate practice prior to operating on a patient.
• Doctors may perform the wrong procedure, or operate on the wrong patient or on the wrong body part – for example, amputating the right leg instead of the left or performing a mastectomy of the wrong breast – when adequate safeguards are not in place or ignored altogether.

Surgical errors can happen because of failures by doctors and hospitals.

Surgical errors often necessitate additional surgery. A surgeon’s negligence can cause permanent, life-changing injuries. Surgical errors can, in the worst cases, cause wrongful death. Let us help you if you believe you have been harmed by medical malpractice. We will meet you at a convenient location and there is no charge for an initial consultation.

Contact us as soon as possible so that we can review the medical records and begin our investigation. Our attorneys represent clients in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and throughout the region.