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Unnecessary surgery is just one example of medical malpractice

| Aug 9, 2017 | blog

As medical treatments evolve over time, illnesses that once needed to be treated by surgery can now be treated by less invasive measures. New research from Minnesota may suggest that treatment options for colon cancer may become less invasive for some patients moving forward.

Doctors from the Minneapolis VA Medical Center found that surgery may not be the best way to treat all cases of colon cancer. If the cancer is localized, choosing observation as a treatment option allowed men to live similar lives to those who opted to have surgery or radiation.

This research is a good reminder that one of the more common malpractice errors is unnecessary surgery. Undergoing a surgery that the patient doesn’t need could leave them vulnerable to complications that can arise after an invasive procedure.

An unnecessary surgery isn’t the only mistake that could be considered malpractice. Other common instances of medical malpractice include:

  • Misdiagnosis: Similar to unnecessary surgery, a misdiagnosis occurs when a doctor misidentifies the illness a patient has or provides an incorrect treatment
  • Anesthesia errors: Administering too much anesthesia, using the wrong drug or using defective medical devices can all cause serious health effects
  • Birth injury: Injuries to either the mother or the child are all too common during birth, and sometimes these injuries are the result of negligence from the doctor or nurses

It’s important to remember that just because a surgery may have been unnecessary doesn’t necessarily mean that it is an instance of malpractice. You typically need to demonstrate that a medical professional was negligent for the error to be considered malpractice.

If you or a loved one suffers an injury as a result of medical malpractice, it can be a difficult time for everyone involved. These accidents can cause lasting health effects and can even result in death. If you or someone you love were injured as a result of a medical error, it’s important to quickly take action and review whether the mistake was malpractice.

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