Queens New York Legal Blog

When people in New York receive word from their health care provider that they need to get surgery, the news is often met with angst about what will happen and what recovery will be like. The outcome of any surgery can be even more terrifying when a surgical error occurs. When patients are active participants in their health care and take a hands-on approach to coordinating their treatment, they can be much more confident in their safety and well-being during a surgical procedure. 

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, surgical errors are almost entirely avoidable with good communication and vigilance to patient safety. However, in a surprising fact, errors still happen far too often leaving patients in worsened health than before. Some of the most common surgical errors include the following:

• Surgeons performing an incorrect procedure from the one that was discussed.
• Surgeons performing a surgery on the wrong body part.
• Surgeons mixing up their patient files and performing surgery on the incorrect patient.

When you have a loved one in a nursing home in New York, it is important to monitor the care he or she receives. This enables you to make sure your loved one is being treated properly. It also helps you stay on top of things and prevent neglect. However, knowing how to properly monitor care is not always easy.

According to U.S. News and World Report, the main way to keep on top of things when it comes to nursing home care is to visit your loved one often. On these visits, you can assess his or her condition. You can also watch staff interactions and ensure the living conditions are acceptable. It is important to not always visit at the same times. Try varying your schedule to see care and conditions at different times of the day and throughout the week.

Cerebral palsy is commonly mentioned when people talk about birth injuries. If you are pregnant, you may even worry about your child getting it during the birthing process. However, what you may not understand is that your New York doctor may not be the one to blame if your child is born with CP.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cerebral palsy is not always a birth injury. It can also be caused by abnormal development while in the womb. It is a misconception that a lack of oxygen during birth is the only cause of CP. It is now known that brain damage that leads to this condition can happen before your baby is born. It can also occur after labor and delivery any time before your child turns one, especially if your child suffers a brain injury. Research shows that it is actually a small percentage of CP cases that are caused by injuries during birth.

Surgical errors are a tragic form of medical malpractice not only because they can result in great harm or even death, but because they should never happen at all. Many surgical mistakes occur as a result of poor planning or organization. Sometimes a New York patient that is scheduled for an operation may actually receive the wrong type of surgery. In these cases, the surgery was intended for someone else and a mix-up occurred.

According to an article run on the CNN website, one type of medical mistake that can occur in a hospital is that patients may receive the wrong kind of surgery. This happens because the hospital staff mistakes one patient for another. Commonly, this is because the last name of the patient is similar to the name of a different patient. For instance, a man named “Johnson” may be confused with a man whose surname is actually “Jonson" and receive the operation that was scheduled for Jonson.