Surgical Errors

See Also : Clinical Negligence | MRSA | Cosmetic Surgery |
Cancer Misdiagnosis | Birth Injuries | Gynaecological Errors | Surgical Errors Nursing Neglect

Unfortunately, surgical injuries are now fairly common. Errors can arise on the part of the surgeon, a surgical assistant, an anaesthetist or a member of the nursing team.

Whichever member of the medical team is responsible, they all have a duty to provide a reasonable standard of care in the operating theatre. Multiple errors can occur during surgery including the improper positioning of the patient on the operating table, incorrect use of anaesthetic resulting in anaesthetic awareness, failure to monitor the patient and even 'wrong -site' surgery.

However, bringing a compensation claim for such errors is always highly complex. While the surgical error may be clear to the surgeon, it may not be described in the operative notes. This means that, even by thoroughly examining the operative notes, it will not be clear whether the medical team failed to provide the correct standard of care and so causing the injury.

An increasing number of claims result from errors during keyhole surgery and laparoscopies. This is because, before starting the operation, incisions must be made at strategic points to insert the small camera and tools to perform the surgery. It is during this stage that the majority of injuries are caused.

If you think you may have cause for a medical negligence claim, please call 0800 043 8884 for an informal chat to discuss your situation or simply fill in our online form on this page.