Pittsburgh
Surgical Errors Lawyer

On This Page

1. Medical Negligence and Surgical Errors
2. Most Common Types of Surgical Errors
3. Understanding the Proper Standard of Care
4. Let Berger and Green Help You Recover the Compensation You Need
5. Time Limits on Filing a Medical Malpractice Action in Pennsylvania
6. Recoverable Damages in a Pittsburgh Medical Malpractice Case

REVIEWED BY

C. William Kenny

December 12, 2023

Board certified by National Board of Trial Advocacy

Medical Negligence and Surgical Errors

While things can always go wrong and there are known complications of any medical procedure, there are also strict protocols in place to reduce the risk of preventable mistakes. Errors during surgery can leave the patient in worse health than before the procedure, cause further injury, and even lead to death. If your surgeon or other members of your surgical team skipped the protocols designed to keep you safe, it may be malpractice.

If you believe you suffered additional injuries or illness because of a careless medical mistake, the attorneys from Berger and Green can help. Let a member of our team review your personal injury case for free. We can help you understand your rights and take legal action on your behalf. Call us today at 412-661-1400 to learn more.

Most Common Types of Surgical Errors

Surgical errors can occur in many ways. We can help you determine if your injuries occurred because of medical malpractice. Some of the most common types of surgical errors include:

Foreign Objects Left in Your Body

All too often, surgeons fail to remove all gauze, clamps, and other equipment from your body before closing the surgical site. This can cause damage to nearby organs, prevent healing, and lead to pain and infection. There is protocol meant to avoid this, so it may be malpractice when it occurs.

Operating On The Wrong Body Part

There are double- and triple-checks in place to ensure patients receive the correct surgery on the right body part. However, when doctors and hospital staff cut corners, errors occur. Imagine losing a healthy kidney, undergoing carpal tunnel surgery on the wrong arm, or losing your healthy limb instead of the one that requires amputation.

Operating On The Wrong Patient

Sometimes patients with similar names or in neighboring rooms may get mixed up if hospital staff ignored the protocols in place to keep this from happening. Both staff and doctors must complete preoperative verification of the patient’s identity and procedure, but if that does not occur, the results can be deadly.

Anesthesia Errors

There are precise measurements and dosage requirements for anesthesia. Giving a patient too much or too little can lead to serious complications. Failure to monitor the patient properly can also cause additional injuries.

Understanding the Proper Standard of Care

Doctors, surgeons, and other hospital staff have a duty to provide a certain standard of care. This includes following strict protocols to reduce or eliminate the risk of many surgical errors, as well as to protect patients from other types of mistakes. If your surgeon or another member of your surgical team fails to provide the proper standard of care, this is negligence. You can pursue compensation for medical malpractice.

Pennsylvania requires us to identify and get a sworn statement about the proper standard of care from a medical expert before we can take legal action in this type of case. This expert must have the same level of education and a similar background, in addition to practicing in the Pittsburgh area.

We may be able to file a medical negligence case on your behalf if our expert agrees that the hospital:

• Failed to have proper protocols in place; or
• Did not ensure their doctors and staff followed proper protocols

Call our team today at 412-661-1400. We will review your case for free and help you understand your rights.

Let Berger and Green Help You Recover the Compensation You Need

If you or a loved one suffered additional injuries or illness because of a Pittsburgh surgical error, Berger and Green is here to help. We can use our experience with other medical malpractice cases to determine if you may have a viable case against the surgeon or hospital.

We can enlist a medical expert witness who can testify to the proper standard of care expected in your case. They can also outline how your surgeon or another member of the surgical team deviated from the acceptable standard of care. We work with a large network of medical experts and can identify the best doctor for your case.

Once we have all the facts to support our case, we will file a claim based on the surgeon’s or hospital’s medical malpractice insurance. We can pursue an out-of-court settlement or file a lawsuit to try to recover the compensation you deserve.

Time Limits on Filing a Medical Malpractice Action in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s medical malpractice laws only give us two years to take legal action, although the deadline may come much sooner in some cases. It is paramount we act as soon as possible in these cases. If we miss any deadline, the Court could bar us from recovering compensation.

We recommend calling us as soon as possible after you discover evidence of the surgical error. We can help you retain the right to take legal action, holding the surgeon and other liable parties accountable.

Recoverable Damages in a Pittsburgh Medical Malpractice Case

If we can reach an out-of-court settlement or win a verdict in court, we may be able to recover compensation for your related damages. This could include:

• The cost of any additional medical treatment and related expenses
• Lost wages
• Diminished earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Wrongful death, if applicable

Talk to a Surgical Errors Lawyer in Pittsburgh, PA

If you or a loved one suffered further injuries or illness because of a surgical error, the legal team from Berger and Green will review your case for free. We can help you understand your rights and explain your legal options. We may be able to pursue compensation because of an error made by your surgeon, another doctor, or a member of the hospital staff.

Call us today or text us today at 412-661-1400. A Pittsburgh medical malpractice lawyer can help. We offer free case evaluations and initial consultations. A member of our team is standing by to take your call now.