Most Common Types of Medical Malpractice
Each time you visit a doctor or stay in a hospital, you are placing your trust in their hands. Doctors and nurses go through a vast amount of training, but they are still human. This means they can make mistakes like anyone else and some of them might cut corners to save time or money. When a medical professional intentionally fails to uphold the standards of care, we call this medical malpractice.
Common types of malpractice are misdiagnoses, technical errors, and actions taken during medical procedures. Talk with a Syracuse medical malpractice attorney if this has happened to you.
Injuries from Medical Procedures
There are several ways a doctor can perform a surgery incorrectly and various reasons for why this happens. A surgeon might misread the patient’s file, a nurse might make a mistake during the operation, or a staff member might mix up which surgical procedure the patient needs. Common causes of surgical malpractice include leaving a piece of metal, like a surgical tool, in the body or performing the wrong surgery on the wrong patient.
Giving birth can be a long and complicated process. There have been instances of birth injuries caused by the way the baby is removed from the mother. Examples of these are soft tissue injuries to the head, broken eye vessels, facial nerve damage, fractured chest bones, and marks from forceps. Unmanaged labor that lasts too long can cause brain damage in the baby.
Technical Errors
Some doctors fail to diagnose a patient in time and others do not diagnose a patient at all. This can happen if the doctor missed something, rushed the examination, intentionally sped up the diagnosis for ulterior motives, or felt a bias against the patient. Many patients do not question the authority of their doctor, so when a doctor misses something like cancer, some patients accept what the doctor says, despite the symptoms they have been experiencing.
Medication errors may not sound as serious as surgical mistakes, but they can be life-threatening when it comes to strong drugs. A wrong prescription order or fill-up could lead to death by overdose or painful side effects. Common effects of improper prescriptions are severe allergic reactions, adverse psychological/physiological effects, hospitalization, addiction, and overdose. Many doctors are facing lawsuits as a result of the opioid epidemic because they are providing addictive opioids to patients without weening the patient off.
Medical Malpractice Lawyer in New York State
Medical malpractice has ruined the lives of many people and can cost up to thousands of dollars in medical bills for recovery. If you have been through medical malpractice and feel unsure about going against your doctor, try consulting with a New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer who can lay out options for you. You may not have to pay for medical expenses related to your injuries.
At Gattuso & Ciotoli, we possess 50 years of experience with personal injury cases and medical malpractice lawsuits. We offer clients legal services in Syracuse, Central New York, Syracuse, Watertown, Binghamton, Syracuse, North Syracuse, Camillus, Liverpool, Cortland, and Auburn. Contact us at (315) 314-8000 today for free consultation. We are happy to answer any questions or concerns related to your current situation.