Medical Malpractice Lawyers | Wrong Site Surgery
Serving Phoenix & Scottsdale, Arizona & Taking Cases Nationwide
Wrong Site Surgical Malpractice
The U.S., Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality did a large study of surgeries done in the U.S. They studied nearly three million operations done between 1985 and 2004, and found that for every 112,994 operations, one was done on the wrong site.
Based on the results of this study, the researchers concluded that an average large hospital would be involved in such a surgical error once every five to ten years.
Two examples
Perhaps that might not seem like an enormous frequency. But one instance is one too often. The Washington Post in October, 2006 mentioned a study by two physicians that was published in September, 2006. It estimated that wrong-site surgery happens between 1,300 and 2,700 times each year in the U.S. Two cited examples were:
- One where testicles were removed instead of a circumcision
- One where the patient's only remaining kidney was removed
JCAHO efforts to help
In 2004, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) made a requirement that hospital staffs pause in a "timeout" to confirm the patient's identity, the procedure to be done, and that all necessary equipment was at hand. But JCAHO did not ask for any reporting or investigating of wrong-site mistakes, so nobody knows whether this requirement is being effective.
JCAHO has more recently been trying to eliminate these egregious mistakes by having doctors or patients, or both, mark the correct surgery site on the patient's body beforehand.
If this happened to you
While JCAHO and various patient advocate groups try to prevent these mistakes, they are still happening at times. If one has happened to you, or to one of your loved ones, consult a medical malpractice lawyers as soon as possible.
Please use these links to learn more about other types of medical malpractice which we can help with.
Prescription Errors
Misdiagnosis
Emergency Room Errors
Obstetrical Malpractice
At Snyder & Wenner, P.C. in Phoenix, AZ, we have years of experience dealing with medical malpractice and will be able to move quickly if you have a valid claim. Please contact us for a free medical malpractice case evaluation. If you are too ill or injured to come to our office, we will go to where you are.
