When you put your life in the hands of a doctor, this really is the ultimate form of trust. Most medical professionals out there truly do uphold their Hippocratic oath and ensure they do everything in their power to keep you safe. But, what happens when this trust is broken? This is an ad.
If you’ve ever come into contact with a negligent surgeon, you’ll know that there’s not really anything worse than this. Surgery procedures are tricky, yes, but years of training and experience should prepare a surgeon for anything you would think.
In this article, I’ll be discussing some of the key ways in which surgery might go wrong, with some real-life stories along the way. I’ll also be honing in on the effects this can have on someone’s life and a key way you can deal with a horrific accident, like this.
How Might A Surgery Go Wrong?
Going into any surgery holds an element of risk. Whether it be routine surgery, like having your appendix removed, or something larger, like a heart or brain operation, everything has its unknown variables.
That said, there are many cases where a surgical procedure going wrong could have been avoided if greater care had been taken. Below is a list of the types of surgery errors out there which could prove life-changing:
- The wrong operation going ahead.
- If healthy tissue is removed during an amputation.
- Organs, blood vessels, or nerves being severed.
- Foreign objects are left in the body, like scalpels or sponges.
- An unnecessary surgery going ahead due to a misdiagnosis.
- Severe scarring or defects are caused due to the surgery, which could affect the quality of life later.
- Poor hygiene practices which, in turn, cause infection.
- Surgery being delayed, which could then have a knock-on effect on the illness.
- Mis-dose of anaesthesia, which could cause the patient to wake up during surgery or go into cardiac arrest.
- Getting doctor’s notes mixed up, which could cause confusion, and provoke any of the above happening.
Surgery Error Stories: Survivors Of Adversity
There are, unfortunately, thousands of surgical negligence stories out there, which are enough to scare anyone. If you are looking for a solicitor for a surgery error claim or just want to find out more, here are a few cases of surgical errors which were enough to warrant a claim:
- A man was awarded £4.2 million in compensation after suffering brain damage from a delayed surgery.
- A woman claimed over £11 million after going in for routine surgery to repair her Achilles tendon and ending up going into cardiac arrest and coming out with brain damage.
- After healing from spinal surgery, a man suffered spinal compression, which left him with injuries which altered his life completely.
- A young woman ended up losing sensation in her body when a scoliosis correction surgery went wrong.
- Numerous patients have received delayed diagnosis of their cancers, which have led to subsequent surgeries, including amputations.
How Might An Error During Surgery Change Your Life?
As you can see, there is a huge variety of ways in which surgery can go wrong and the above are only a fraction of the cases.
Surgical errors are likely to have a huge knock-on effect on the health of the victim, both physically and mentally. There will also be effects on the patient’s lifestyle, including their financial capabilities.
Physical Effects
The most obvious effects that an error during surgery could cause are physical. Pain could be a side effect, a disability could emerge, and effects could be long-lasting and permanent. Whatever it is, life is unlikely to be the same again.
Mental Effects
Yes, you may struggle to go through life as normal due to physical barriers, but you’re also likely to come up against a lot of mental strain too. Doctors are some of the most trusted people within our society and, when they fail us, it can feel like a real breach of this trust.
Someone who’s been through this is highly likely to suffer from PTSD. They may also end up with severe trust issues in future, which could affect the chances of them seeking medical care if they need it again.
Financial Effects
Due to adversity, you’ll face as a survivor of a surgical error, it’s likely that you’ll come up against financial losses. Not only will you potentially be paying for medical costs due to repeat surgeries, but you may also have to fork out for therapy and counselling, too. You may also have to take sick leave from work and this could be paid at a lower amount than your normal pay.
Lifestyle Effects
Obviously, the physical effects of a surgical error cannot be overstated, but it doesn’t stop there. There are also a number of further implications that these physical effects can bring on.
For example, the surgical mishap may prevent you from continuing your much-loved hobby, or even a job you love. Most definitely, if these activities involve physical activity, you’re likely to have to completely alter your life and adapt it to your physical disability. You may need to have your home adapted to meet your needs.
What’s more, the additional doctor’s visits which may involve you taking more time off work, this could affect your employment and your job security especially if you are not on a permanent contract or are self-employed.
These are just some of the many ways that botched surgery could affect someone’s life. Every case is different, and it certainly depends on the severity of the case but that said, these effects are real and require a lot of healing both physically and mentally.
How to Overcome Surgical Negligence
After coming up against surgical negligence, there are a number of ways you can attempt to move on from it all. This includes a combination of therapy, counselling, meditation, medication and anything to help you to live as normal a life as possible.
By seeking legal help, you can ensure you get the compensation you deserve. In the face of adversity, legal professionals can provide you with the compassion and advice you need during these tough times.
The sooner you seek this sort of assistance, the better. By doing so you can help stop it from happening to someone else too. With this sort of help, the mental, physical, and lifestyle barriers can more likely be beaten too.
Have You A Surgery Story to Tell?
I think I've covered a lot here, but I hope you’ve taken something away from this, be it life lessons, knowledge, or compassion for those affected. After all, we never know what someone else may be going through.
This site is all about providing advice for one another, and what better way to do so than through sharing our personal stories. So, if you’ve had any experience within the world of surgical negligence, do leave a comment below. Who knows - you may be able to help someone going through the same right now.
*Collaborative post
Some really useful information here.
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