Surgery is daunting enough on its own, and the process shouldn’t become even more unnerving because of concerns of negligence on the part of your surgeon. Unfortunately, surgical instruments that are dirty or not sterilized properly harm patients each year. When this happens, even minor or routine surgeries may turn into a nightmare for the patient. If you or someone you love has been hurt or killed as a result of a dirty surgical instrument, it is important to seek the help of a skilled Baltimore medical malpractice attorney. At Arfaa Law Group, we can thoroughly analyze the facts of your case and provide you with an honest assessment of your claim.
A few years ago, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) conducted a pilot program, which inspected 1,500 outpatient surgery centers and cited 28 percent for infection control deficiencies related to surgical instrument cleaning and sterilization. Surgical site infections caused by dirty instruments can have long-term and painful consequences, such as prolonged recovery, infections, loss of limbs, or even death. In some cases, the patient may not develop an infection from the dirty instrument. Instead, he or she may be exposed to a disease, such as HIV, hepatitis, or syphilis.
Hospitals have a duty to maintain procedures and protocols that will make sure a patient’s health is not in jeopardy. These include sterilizing surgical instruments properly. Unfortunately, in some cases, appropriate care is not taken to clean instruments, or instruments used in a previous surgery are accidentally or intentionally used again.
When unsterile surgical instruments cause harm to patients, medical malpractice is likely involved. Medical malpractice takes place when a physician or another health care provider fails to provide the appropriate standard of care, and a patient is injured as a result. Put another way, medical malpractice occurs when a medical professional fails to act in the way that a prudent medical professional in the same specialty would have acted under similar circumstances.
Once medical malpractice is established, a plaintiff may be able to recover damages, including but not limited to current and future medical bills, lost income and benefits, disability, rehabilitation costs, and pain and suffering. In cases in which you have lost a loved one due to malpractice, you may be able to pursue wrongful death damages, such as funeral and burial expenses, loss of future earnings, loss of companionship, and more. Of course, the exact amount of damages will vary based on the specific facts of the case.
At Arfaa Law Group, our Baltimore medical malpractice attorneys understand the pain and trauma that comes with being hurt by a surgeon you trusted. This is why we work hard to hold medical professionals accountable for the harm they cause. You can trust that we will make every effort to maximize the amount of compensation you receive. We represent clients across Maryland. To discuss your case in more detail, feel free to call 410-889-1850 or contact us online.
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