At the Scanlan Law Group, our 25 years of experience in medical malpractice cases has taught us that a number of things can go seriously wrong in the operating room. A surgeon can operate on the wrong body part (known as "wrong site surgery") or the wrong patient. A surgical nurse can forget to remove a surgical sponge from the abdomen of a patient, allowing a life-threatening infection to set in. An anesthesiologist can prescribe anesthesia to an allergic patient, or overdose the patient, leading to anaphylactic shock, coma and death. A hospital may fail to keep its surgical areas sterile, subjecting the patient to an even greater risk of harm than the condition that required the surgery in the first place. Whatever the cause, surgical errors result in many serious injuries and deaths every year.

Some specific examples of surgical errors include:

• Tears, lacerations and perforations of internal organs resulting from careless surgical procedures
  
  
• Leaving surgical instruments and sponges in the patient's body after surgery
  
  
• Laparoscopic procedure errors
  
  
• Nerve and other neurological damage
  
  
• Postoperative infection and septic shock
  
  
• Cerebral hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain) resulting from complications of general anesthesia
  
  
• Complications resulting from mistakes in caesarian sections

According to the joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, there were 64 reported wrong site surgery cases last year, compared with 58 and 2001. The Commission believes that the actual number probably is higher. The average settlement in surgical error cases was estimated to be $600,000.

Because surgical errors can be very complex, you need experienced and aggressive attorneys to successfully handle them. The Scanlan Law Group has the necessary experience. We have sued doctors and other health care professionals who commit surgical errors, and we are not afraid to take them to trial if one of our clients has been injured. Accordingly, if you or someone you know have sustained an injury related to a surgical error, contact the Scanlan Law Group for a free initial consultation.