The fact that a medical procedure is considered “routine” does not automatically make it “safe.” Errors, injuries, complications and illnesses can result from any procedure and can have devastating consequences. While tempting to automatically blame the medical provider responsible for your procedure, not every complication or injury is the result of malpractice. In order for an injury or illness to be con-sidered malpractice, measurable negligence and healthcare conduct below the standard of care must be proven. Furthermore, the injury or illness must be a direct result of a mistake on the part of the facility or medical practitioner. Experienced attorneys cite four procedures as being most likely to re-sult in medical malpractice. Below our Maryland and Washington D.C. lawyers look at each of these in more depth.
Procedures most commonly seen in medical malpractice cases
- Childbirth. Of every 1,000 babies born yearly, between six and eight will be born with an inju-ry. Not all injuries are the result of malpractice, but many are. Childbirth-related medical mal-practice lawsuits are the third most commonly seen. Whether dealing with a palsy, brain injury or cardiovascular distress, nearly half of these injuries could have been prevented and present viable medical malpractice cases.
- Transplants. Transplants are some of the most complicated of surgical procedures. The list of possible complications includes infection, organ failure, cardiac arrest and stroke. Whether dealing with Hepatitis C or sepsis, transplant-related medical malpractice lawsuits are some of the most common—and most complicated—cases seen by malpractice attorneys today.
- Surgical Procedures Involving the Use of a Laser. Laser surgeries are the seeing a significant jump in the number of medical malpractice cases brought against physicians yearly. Unlike most other categories of medical malpractice, there are minimal requirements regulating who can and cannot operate a laser and physicians can be found liable even if they, themselves, were not the ones performing the operation. MedPageToday provides insight into the nature of these claims in a recent article.
- Plastic Surgery. Nearly 14 million plastic surgeries are performed every year in the United States. It is reported that over 40 percent of plastic surgeons do not have proper medical equipment for these procedures. Therefore, medical errors resulting from plastic surgery pro-cedures cost the nation nearly $30 billion annually.
Speak with an experienced medical malpractice attorney in Washington D.C. or Baltimore, Maryland
If you have suffered an injury or illness as a direct result of any of the above-mentioned procedures, contacting a medical malpractice attorney with experience in personal injury is vital to securing the compensation you are entitled to. The attorneys at Schochor, Staton, Goldberg, and Cardea, P.A. have more than a decade of experience successfully litigating medical malpractice cases involving injuries resulting from plastic surgery, laser surgery, childbirth, transplants and more in the greater Baltimore and Wash-ington D.C. areas. To speak with an experienced attorney today, call 410-234-1000 today. We review your case, assess its viability and litigate on your behalf for a fair settlement.