Unfortunately, surgery errors are common in Maryland and across the United States. If you or someone close to you has been injured by a surgery error, you should reach out to a skilled Baltimore surgical malpractice attorney who understands this area of the law. At Arfaa Law Group, we are dedicated to protecting patient rights at every step of the way.
A survey (login required) conducted by Medscape last year found that 59 percent of more than 4,000 primary-care physicians in the United States were involved in one or more medical malpractice claims during their career. Across specialties, male physicians are more likely to be sued than female physicians. And indeed, more male general surgeons (85 percent) were sued than female general surgeons (74 percent). The study found that general surgeons faced the third-highest risk of getting sued. In fact, the survey revealed that 83 percent of surgeons have been involved in malpractice lawsuits.
When general surgeons were asked about the nature of lawsuits that they faced, they had a variety of answers: 44 percent of lawsuits the general surgeons faced involved an abnormal injury; 21 percent of the lawsuits were for a failure to diagnose; and nine percent were for a failure to treat. The specific claims against surgeons involved post-operative infections, pain, bleeding, embolisms, and injuries to a common bile duct, nerve, vein or artery, or organ, as well as the death of a patient, a foreign object in the body, a delay in treatment, unnecessary surgery, complications from undiagnosed conditions, and complications from patient non-compliance.
Surgical errors refer to mistakes that are preventable. In Maryland, victims of surgery errors can typically file a medical malpractice claim against the at-fault party. Medical malpractice is defined as a medical professional’s failure to adhere to the generally accepted standard of care for their profession, resulting in patient harm. Put another way, surgery malpractice occurs when a surgeon injures or causes the death of a patient because his or her conduct falls below the level of care as compared to a reasonably competent surgeon practicing in that area of surgery under the same or similar circumstances.
Once medical malpractice is established, a plaintiff may be able to recover a variety of economic and non-economic damages from the at-fault party. Some examples of these damages include medical expenses incurred as a result of the surgical error, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any other damages stemming from the malpractice.
Surgeons must use great care when performing a surgery. Mistakes made by a surgeon can have devastating, even deadly consequences for a patient. If you or someone close to you has been harmed by a surgeon’s negligence, you need to reach out to a Baltimore surgery error attorney as soon as possible. At Arfaa Law Group, our goal is to help you pursue the justice you deserve and the compensation you need to move on with your life after your injury. With years of experience, we are prepared to take on the toughest cases, providing support to our clients at every step of the way. For more information about your case, call 410-889- 1850 or contact us online.
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