Posted: January 24, 2018
Recently, JAMA Surgery reported that for the nearly three million surgeries that are performed every year, almost 80 percent of deaths, complications, and costs are due to seven emergency surgery procedures. These emergency procedures can range from relatively simple operations to highly invasive procedures. However, they all have one thing in common. Medical errors in emergency surgery are costing thousands of Americans their lives each year.
Researchers reviewed over 400,000 patient records from 2008 to 2011 and found that seven surgeries in the abdominal region and digestive system cause the majority of deaths in patients. These procedures included:
- Removing part of the colon
- Small-bowel resection
- Gallbladder removal
- Operations for peptic ulcer disease
- Removing abdominal adhesions
- Appendectomy
- Other abdominal operations
Although all surgeries are accompanied by a degree of risk, these operations come with an abnormally high mortality rate and risk for serious complications, including:
- Internal bleeding
- Infections
- Adhesion
- Shock
- Intestinal obstruction
Any complication from surgery can turn from serious to life-threatening quickly. The study found that almost 15 percent of patients who underwent operations to the GI tract needed to be re-admitted to the hospital for complications within a month following their surgery.
The tragedy in these statistics is that many of the complications and deaths these patients suffered could have been prevented were it not for mistakes made in their medical care.
Medical malpractice is a serious issue in our health care system. We lose too many people each year because of inexcusable medical mistakes. Every medical professional owes the patients in his or her care an acceptable standard of quality care. When the nurses, doctors, and other professionals responsible for your health care, fail to uphold their duty to provide the quality of care you deserve, they should be held accountable for their actions.
At Shapiro & Sternlieb, our attorneys are dedicated to helping the victims of medical malpractice pursue the justice they deserve. Whether you have suffered severe injuries at the hands of the medical professionals you trusted with your care or you have lost a loved one due to the errors of their medical caretakers, we can help you understand your rights to hold those parties accountable for their errors.
Our attorneys take the time to understand your case and to get to know you personally. You are more than another case file to us. We know that this case and the circumstances that brought you through our door are some of the most traumatic events that will happen in your lifetime. We are prepared to fight for the justice you deserve to help you and your family heal from these injuries and move forward with your lives.
Contact Shapiro & Sternlieb Today
If you or your loved one has been seriously injured due to the errors of medical professionals, please contact Shapiro & Sternlieb, LLC today online or at 732-851-1478 for your free medical malpractice consultation with an experienced attorney. We represent clients throughout Newark, Jersey City, and the surrounding areas of New Jersey.
