• Surgical Injury
• Surgical Infection
• Prolonged Surgery
• Incorrect Incision
• Incorrect Operation
• Organ Damage
• Nerve Damage
• Wrong Patient Surgery
• Wrong Site Surgery
• Cosmetic Surgery Error
• Plastic Surgery Error
• Contaminated Instruments

A surgical injury refers to the injuries that a patient may incur as the result of any mistake made during an invasive procedure, particularly where a physician, anesthetist, nurse, or other medical professional fails to perform their duties correctly - regardless of intent.

Causes of Surgical Injury

Some of the more common causes of surgical injury include:

• Surgical instrument, sponge or other apparatus left in the body
• Use of contaminated surgical equipment or instruments
• Wrong surgical procedure performed

Surgical injuries scale in severity from minor to severe and even life threatening. Some of the most devastating surgical injuries include serious infections, perforated or damaged organs, paralysis, and permanent disability.

Surgical Injury Statistics

According to a report issued by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the occurrence of surgical injury in the United States has increased dramatically in recent years. In fact, the JCAHO stated that the number of surgical injury cases has increased by a factor of 10 since 1998.

The majority of documented surgical injury cases involve wrong site surgeries, or those performed on the wrong limb, organ, or other area of the body. However, 13 percent of surgical injuries involve wrong patient surgeries and 11 percent involve the wrong medical procedure.

Surgical Injury: What to do next

Individuals who have suffered a surgical injury may be eligible to file a medical malpractice lawsuit to recover damages including medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, and pain and suffering. However, because a statute of limitations restricts the time an individual has to file a claim, it is important to consult with an experienced Jacksonville medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible.