A Delayed or Prolonged Surgery can be Medical Malpractice
If you need surgery, it shouldn’t be delayed. Once a health problem rises to the level of requiring surgical intervention it is likely severe. Hospitals and doctors may delay a necessary surgery because of scheduling conflicts. They may also schedule you for a prolonged surgery to fit you in or avoid book the surgical suite more than once. A delayed or prolonged surgery can lead to serious complications and can be the result of medical malpractice.
Waiting to perform surgery can expose the patient to greater risk. For example, if a patient needs heart surgery and the hospital delays the surgery, the patient may suffer a heart attack. Also, keeping a patient open on the operating table for too long may increase the patient’s risk of infection. Surgery is risky. It is estimated that nearly 50% of all surgeries go wrong. Doctors and hospitals should not increase the possibility of harm by delaying things or making the surgery longer than necessary.
Delayed Surgery
Whether a doctor fails to use the differential diagnosis tool or simply misses a diagnosis, doctors may delay your diagnosis. This can delay your surgery. Doctors can also delay your surgery simply because of their schedule. These delays can cause your condition to become more severe and possibly more emergent.
For example, a doctor may delay a necessary D&C. This delay can cause infection to set in, eventually leading to sepsis for the mother. In this instance, mom may find herself in the emergency room having surgery and being treated for an infection. Not to mention the emotional trauma that goes along with the delay. This type of medical malpractice, along with delayed surgery is negligent behavior, and the doctor should be held accountable.
Prolonged Surgery
Surgeries typically last a certain amount of time. For example, a tummy tuck could take an hour (this is only my estimate). Doctors can extend this time to be thorough, to address complications, or to put multiple surgeries together. Sometimes the extended surgery time can be necessary. Other times, prolonging surgery may simply be a choice on the part of the doctor or hospital.
A longer surgery can mean more complications including:
- Sepsis
- Bowel perforations
- Nerve compartment injuries
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Infections
- Air in abdominal or chest cavity
- Bleeding complications
Doctors and hospitals will find excuses or ways to justify to delay or the longer surgery. They may make the excuse that they put off surgery, because surgery should be a last resort. They may argue that they made a judgment call on the need for a longer surgery. Whatever the excuse, they are trying to avoid responsibility. Your actions in a medical malpractice suit may make them think twice before doing the same thing to someone else.
Contact a Houston Medical Malpractice Attorney to help with Your Delayed or Prolonged Surgery Case
If you or a loved one has been injured because of a delayed or prolonged surgery, contact Chelsie King Garza today for a free consultation. She is ready and able to help you with your medical malpractice case.