Wrong Site Surgery Attorney in Pittsburgh, PA

Wrong-site surgery is one of the most preventable and unconscionable forms of surgical malpractice that can take place in Pittsburgh hospitals. In the vast majority of cases, the surgeon performs the correct surgery on the wrong side of the body. Although not all errors that take place in the medical field constitute malpractice, wrong-site surgery will almost always give rise to a medical malpractice claim—in fact, wrong-site surgery is categorized as a “never event” in the medical field, meaning that it is something that should never occur under any circumstances. In other words, wrong-site surgery is never a reasonable risk that a patient should have to undertake when seeking medical care. At Matzus Law, LLC, a skilled Pittsburgh wrong site surgery lawyer is passionate about holding negligent medical professionals responsible for these egregious mistakes.

If you or a loved one have been the victim of wrong-site surgery, we have the experience and resources necessary to pursue your legal right to compensation for the harm you have suffered.  We offer all potential clients a free initial consultation to discuss options for recovering compensation for your wrong-site surgery, so call or contact us so that we can go to work in protecting your legal rights today.

Wrong Site Surgery is Unfortunately Common in PA Hospitals

The most important factor that can lead to wrong-site surgery is a lack of proper communication between the surgeons and surgical staff members. Changes in the staff involved, the presence of multiple surgeons and even changes in the room where the surgery is to take place can all create circumstances where wrong-site surgery is more likely to occur. Unfortunately, wrong-site surgeries are actually more common than most patients would initially believe and can take place because of:

• Staff members’ marking the wrong part of the patient’s body
• Failure to communicate proper instructions to the surgeon prior to the surgery
• Failure to properly follow a pre-surgery checklist
• Failure on the part of the hospital to implement a surgical safety checklist as is generally required in accordance with applicable medical standards
• Time pressures
• Lack of appropriate training and skill on the part of the surgeon and surgical team
• Failure to appropriately review the patient’s medical records prior to surgery
• Failure to follow proper verification procedures prior to surgery
• When multiple surgeons and procedures are involved, failure of the surgeons to communicate amongst themselves and with the patient

Trusted Medical Malpractice Lawyer Committed to Winning Full and Fair Compensation for Wrong Site Surgery Victims

In most cases involving wrong-site surgery, you will be required to endure a second surgery in order to effectively correct the problem that the original surgery was designed to address. In other cases, you may require corrective surgery to correct issues the surgeon caused by operating on a healthy organ or body part. This means accepting all of the known risks of the original surgery a second time, as well as the need to endure additional post-surgical recovery periods. In more serious cases, such as wrong-site surgeries where a healthy kidney was removed instead of a diseased kidney, wrong-site surgery can cause the patient to suffer devastating and permanent future consequences and even death.

At Matzus Law, LLC, our medical malpractice lawyer is committed to holding negligent surgeons responsible for wrong-site surgery and will work tirelessly to establish your right to a compensation package that includes:

• All medical expenses associated with the wrong site surgery
• All medical expenses associated with the need for future corrective surgeries, as well as the actual correct surgery itself
• Ongoing medical treatment costs generated by the wrong site surgery
• Compensation for lost wages and employment benefits during your entire recovery period, as well as a loss of earning potential caused by the surgical error
• Damages for the pain and suffering and emotional trauma caused by the wrong site surgery

Schedule a Free Initial Consultation to Discuss Options for Recovering Compensation With a Pittsburgh Wrong Site Surgery Lawyer

Approximately 85 percent of wrong-site surgery malpractice cases result in financial compensation packages for the patient. Our lawyer Jason Matzus will advocate for your right to receive a compensation package that accounts for all of your current and future expenses by working with experts and specialists in the field to develop a full estimate of the wrong site surgery cost to you and your family. To schedule a free consultation with a Pittsburgh wrong site surgery lawyer to discuss your options and rights, you can call our office or fill out this online contact form.

Frequently Asked Questions About Wrong Site Surgery Claims

Will I have to endure a lengthy court battle to recover compensation if I was the victim of wrong-site surgery?

In most cases, no. Wrong-site surgery cases almost always present a set of facts that is so egregious that the hospital, surgeon and other medical professionals are highly motivated to settle the case out of court. Medical malpractice cases require that we establish a set of facts that shows no reasonable, trained medical professional would have made the mistake that caused your harm. In wrong-site surgery cases, it is always the case that no reasonable surgeon would have made the mistake of operating on a healthy body part.

Why do I need a lawyer in a wrong-site surgery case if the harm involved is so obvious?

You need a lawyer to advocate for your right to full and fair compensation for all of the harm that the wrong site surgery will cause. The hospital or doctor’s insurance company may be more than willing to offer you a settlement award that provides compensation for the medical expenses incurred because of the surgery and even for the correct surgery. Despite this, in many cases that settlement award will fail to take into consideration the full extent of the medical care necessary to treat the resulting harm, and may attempt to minimize the compensation to which you are entitled to pain and suffering, lost wages and other costs of the surgical error.