Patients entrust their lives to skilled professionals, expecting precision, care, and honesty. Yet mistakes still happen. Even the most minor procedure can cause life-altering harm when medical providers fail to follow proper standards. When this occurs, patients face physical pain and also the emotional and financial impact of medical negligence.
Chicago medical malpractice claims often arise when a healthcare provider’s actions (or inactions) lead to injury that could have been avoided with proper attention and care. Understanding how and why these mistakes occur is the first step toward justice and healing.
In this article, we explore:
- What are the common types of surgical errors?
- How do you prove medical malpractice in Illinois?
- What steps should you take if you suspect medical negligence?
Chicago Medical Malpractice and Surgical Error Overview
Surgery involves precise coordination between doctors, nurses, and technicians. Even a single error in judgment or communication can cause irreversible harm. Surgical errors linked to Chicago medical malpractice often result from poor preparation, unclear communication, or fatigue. In some cases, a rushed or distracted decision in the operating room can lead to devastating consequences.
- Patients trust hospitals to follow safety protocols and double-check every detail. Unfortunately, those safeguards sometimes fail, leaving victims to deal with infections, prolonged recovery, or permanent disability. Understanding where these breakdowns occur helps victims recognize when their suffering may be the result of negligence.
What Are The Common Types Of Surgical Errors?
Mistakes and errors in the surgical suite can result in traumatic injuries and fatalities. However, surgical errors occur before, during, and after a surgical procedure. Additionally, any member of the surgical team or healthcare facility staff can be negligent or commit an error. Medical negligence is not limited to physicians, surgeons, and anesthetists.
Common types of surgical errors that may cause injuries or death include:
- Errors with anesthesia, including failure to monitor a patient and prescribing the incorrect medication or dosage
- Failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis of a condition
- Leaving implements inside the patient, such as sponges, towels, or clamps
- Failing to pre-screen a patient for conditions that could complicate surgery or make the surgery more dangerous
- Negligent postoperative care, including failure to monitor patients for infections and problems after surgery
- Performing the wrong surgery or performing surgery on the wrong site
- Unnecessary surgical procedures
- Improperly sterilized rooms, instruments, and machines
- Severing or puncturing an internal organ or artery
The above list is not an exhaustive list of the mistakes and instances of negligence found during surgery. The reasons for errors during surgery vary. Neglect, miscommunication, and carelessness are some of the reasons for surgical errors.
Other reasons may be related to a medical provider’s poor decisions, such as performing surgery while under the influence of drugs or alcohol or proceeding with an operation when the surgeon is overly fatigued or drowsy.
Proving surgical malpractice can be complicated, but with the help of experienced Chicago medical malpractice attorneys, you can hold a negligent medical provider responsible for your injuries and damages.
How Do You Prove Medical Malpractice In Illinois?
Building a strong Chicago medical malpractice case requires proof that the healthcare provider acted negligently and caused measurable harm. Four legal elements form the foundation of a successful claim:
- Doctor-Patient Relationship — You must prove that you and the doctor had a professional doctor-patient relationship at the time of the injury. This element can be proven with medical records. If a doctor answers a medical question at your child’s Little League game, a professional relationship probably did not exist.
- Breach of Duty — A doctor-patient relationship creates a duty of care for your doctor to provide competent medical care. You must prove that the doctor breached the duty of care to prove medical malpractice. Along with causation, this is one of the two most difficult elements to prove. An experienced Chicago medical malpractice attorney understands the necessary steps to prove malpractice, including retaining medical experts to provide testimony that the doctor’s actions were not within the reasonable standard of care for the situation.
- Causation — There must be a direct relationship between the breach of duty and the injury. The breach of property care must have been the main cause of your injury.
- Damages — Lastly, we must show that you suffered damages because of the breach of duty. Damages may include physical injuries, developing additional health care conditions, loss of income, permanent impairments, scarring, or emotional & physical pain and suffering.
What Should You Do If You Suspect You Were Injured Because Of Medical Negligence?
If you are unsure whether you were the victim of medical malpractice because of a surgical error, meeting with a Chicago medical malpractice attorney can help. An attorney can provide information about filing a medical malpractice claim, additional steps you should take, and information about your legal rights.
Contact the Costa Ivone Injury Lawyers by calling (708) 400-0000. Schedule a confidential, complimentary consultation with an experienced Chicago medical malpractice attorney specializing in surgical errors.