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New Study Reveals Risk of Surgical Errors Still Present

According to Medline Plus, a new study published in the October issue of Archives of Surgery reveals that the risk of surgical errors is still present, despite a universal protocol issued by the Joint Commission in 2004 to prevent surgical errors.

The universal protocol calls for the following 3 steps to be taken: 

• pre-procedure verification;
• markings on the surgical site; and
• "time out" for the surgical staff before surgery.  

While most surgical facilities have been following protocol, surgical errors such as operating on the wrong patient or on the wrong site continue to happen.

This study indicated that there were 27,370 adverse events that occurred between January 2002 and June 2008. Researchers found that 107 were the result of wrong-site surgery and 25 involved wrong patient surgery.

Additionally, 38 of the patients who had surgery on the wrong site and 5 of the patients who received unnecessary surgery were seriously injured. There was 1 patient who died after having surgery performed on the wrong site.

The study also indicates that all of the surgical errors were preventable and were partly a result of poor communication. Among the unnecessary surgeries, 56% were related to diagnostic errors. Among those who had surgery performed on the wrong site, 85% were attributed to judgment errors and 72% were the result of a failure to take the 3^rd step in the universal protocol, a "time out." 

If you have suffered injuries because of a surgical error, a Kentucky medical malpractice attorney can talk to you about your options for legal recourse in a medical malpractice claim.

Contacting a Kentucky Medical Malpractice Attorney 

A Louisville medical malpractice attorney at Gray and White Law can help you handle every aspect of your medical malpractice claim. If you've been injured in Kentucky, contact us today for a free evaluation of your case 800-634-8767 or 502-210- 8942

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