Most patients who undergo surgery experience positive outcomes, but in a small number of cases, something goes terribly wrong. Doctors perform the wrong operation, treat the wrong patient, or, in the worst cases, remove the wrong organ.
Victims of these surgical errors need help from knowledgeable attorneys. At Kaveny Sarmas Injury Lawyers, we have more than two decades of experience handling the most serious medical malpractice claims. If you have been the victim of a medical wrong procedure or surgical error, a Chicago wrong procedure lawyer at Kaveny Sarmas can help you with your malpractice claim.
What Is a Wrong Procedure?
Wrong procedures are sometimes called “never events” because they should never happen. However, they occur more often than they should. Never events result from a lack of communication, understaffing in the hospital, and improper marking of the surgical site or the patient. The following are common types of these never events, which our wrong procedure attorneys in Chicago often manage.
Wrong Procedures
These include performing a different operation to the one scheduled, such as a tonsillectomy instead of an adenoidectomy. Sometimes the procedure is less invasive, or it could miss the target organ.
Wrong Site or Wrong Side Surgery
This occurs less often than it used to, as now doctors ask patients to mark their own bodies. Operating on the wrong knee or leg is distressingly common and, in cases of amputation, can be horrific.
Wrong Patient
In cases of misidentification of patients, particularly in long-term care facilities, medical providers may perform procedures on the wrong individual.
Foreign Objects
Despite bar coding of everything from scalpels to sponges, tools are still left inside patients after surgery, resulting in pain and infection.
Medication Mix-Ups
These may occur anywhere from the pharmacy to the hospital. Improper labeling and poorly written prescriptions are often to blame.
The outcome of wrong procedures can range from annoying to fatal. If you have been the victim of such a mistake, you should not take it lightly but seek legal counsel right away.
When Do You Need a Wrong Procedure Lawyer?
Illinois law sets a deadline of two years from the date of your injury to file a medical malpractice claim, with an absolute limit of four years, even if you could not have discovered the injury earlier (735 ILCS 5/13-212). You must also provide an Affidavit of Merit from a health care professional stating that your claim is valid.
This narrow window to file your claim and the affidavit requirement mean that you need help from an attorney to ensure your claim enters the system before the deadline expires. You also must meet the legal requirements to prove that malpractice occurred in your case and that a wrong procedure caused your injuries.
Contact Our Chicago Wrong Procedure Attorneys Today
At Kaveny Sarmas, our legal team can give you the support you need. We have a registered nurse on staff to help with the affidavit requirement and to review your medical documentation to find the evidence we need to establish negligence in your case. If your case is nearing the statutory deadline, there may be ways to have the deadline extended.
Call our offices today for a confidential case review with a skilled Chicago wrong procedure lawyer. We are here to help you with your medical malpractice claim.
