When Does a Medical Complication Become Negligence?

Because complications may arise, monitoring a patient after surgery is crucial.

There is an expected level of risk associated with just about every surgery or medical procedure. Doctors are aware of this and go to great lengths to make sure that the patient is as well. The surgeon will meet with the patient before the procedure and explain all of the potential risks in detail. This is a necessary part of the process known as informed consent. Patients will have to sign a form stating that they have been made aware of all the risks and would still like to go ahead with the surgery. In most cases the patient has a positive outcome, but unfortunately for some, a complication occurs that worsens their condition, or in some situations leads to death.

Some common complications seen after surgery are infections, bleeding, or deep vein thrombosis. It is the duty of the medical staff to be on the lookout for signs of these conditions and diagnose and treat immediately. Failure to do so can be catastrophic to the patient. If you think that you suffered from one of these complications after a medical procedure and it was not diagnosed immediately, you may be entitled to some compensation.

Some surgical procedures pose a risk of damage to other organs or blood supply. Take for instance a routine cardiac catheterization where doctors are aware of possible injury to arteries. If an artery becomes damaged and they immediately notice and repair the damage then there was no negligence. They were aware of the risk, diagnosed it and corrected it immediately. Same goes for a hysterectomy where the bladder or bowel is accidentally cut by the surgeon. So long as it is noticed and repaired then there can typically be no claim of negligence since this is a known risk associated with that type of surgery. However, ever case is different, so Missouri medical malpractice attorney can help you to make the distinction.

The family of a woman who died as a result of an undiagnosed complication recently won their case in front of a Missouri jury. The surgeon failed to notice a dissected coronary artery during a cardiac catheterization procedure. The family claimed that the complication went undiagnosed by medical staff despite the woman’s worsening state and that failure to treat it in time led to her death. The jury agreed after hearing all of the evidence and awarded the patients family a large monetary sum.

Contact a Medical Malpractice Lawyer

An experienced surgeon should be well aware of the risks associated with the surgery he is performing and be diligent about preventing any complications. However, even the most skilled physician knows that mistakes sometimes happen which is why the monitoring of a patient after surgery is so important. If you feel that you received inadequate care and this led to post operative complications that were not treated promptly, contact a St. Louis medical malpractice attorney at Zevan and Davidson immediately to review your case.

Call us today at (314) 588-7200 to schedule a free consultation.

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