Surgical Accident Claims

When surgery is performed, there are complications which can occur which are a known risk of that particular procedure. Such risks should be discussed with a patient before they undergo treatment, and their consent obtained.

However, on occasions, surgical accidents occur which are negligent, or there are delays in recognising that a known risk has occurred, such a delay means that damage occurs which could have been avoided.

Medical negligence issues which may occur when undergoing surgery include when cosmetic surgery has not been performed appropriately. Also, during various operations, other organs can be damaged which may be negligent or there has been a failure to recognise the damage has occurred and to treat it appropriately.

Negligence by surgeons or clinicians can be due to faulty or misused instruments or from a lack of training. Some surgeons take on or are given too much work and fail to deal with consent issues properly or explain procedures post-surgery. This lack of communication can lead to clinical negligence claims.

There are various medical issues which can occur as a result of undergoing general surgery.

These issues can be to do with cosmetic surgery, keyhole surgery and surgical procedures including surgery for:

• Bowel
• Bile duct
• Abdomen
• gallbladder
• colon
• liver

These various forms of general surgery may be emergencies, or scheduled operations. They can be routine or unexpected.

In cosmetic surgery, problems can arise where procedures have been performed inadequately or inappropriately.

Forms of Medical Negligence

Where there are medical accidents during surgery, or incidents of negligence, these can have serious a serious impact on patients, leading to life-changing or even fatal consequences.

Also, during the course of surgery swabs and various surgical instruments have to be used.

After an operation is completed theatre staff have to ensure that all swabs and surgical instruments used during the operation are accounted for. However, on occasions, negligence occurs when swabs or surgical instruments are left inside patients. When such foreign objects are left inside a patient, complications can occur such as infections can develop and further surgery is required to remove the foreign object.

If a foreign object has been left inside you after undergoing an operation then you may be entitled to compensation. If this happens, the patient can develop infections or other complications, leading to the need for further surgery to then remove anything left behind inside the body cavity.

Negligence can also arise from miscommunication, resulting in surgeons operating on the wrong part of the body, or removing healthy tissue or organs. A misdiagnosis or confusion over notes and x-rays can lead to surgeons carrying out unnecessary surgery.

Sometimes surgeons and clinicians are overworked, leading to poor decision-making, or they may have had inadequate training to carry out certain procedures in the first place. They might not have explained post-surgical procedures to patients properly, leading to complications; or they may have not dealt with consent issues adequately before operating.

Also, accidents can occur during surgery, such as the severing of vital blood vessels or nerves, with serious and sometimes fatal consequences for the patient.

Where there has been negligence in general surgery, patients are entitled to compensation. For more information, help, advice or support, please contact us today using the form on this page.