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4 “Never Events” That Could Give Rise to Medical Malpractice Claims

When you walk into a hospital, you expect the physicians and doctors to
be well trained and know the proper procedures. You place your trust in
them, expecting them to know how to best care for your health. Doctors
need to go through extensive schooling and training before they can help
patients.
However, sometimes that education is not enough. While some
medical procedures are inherently risky, it is important that your doctor
and hospital staff follow all the guidelines to ensure safety and avoid
medical errors.

Mistakes happen, some forgivable and some not. Medical “never events”
fall under that latter. These instances occur when a doctor makes a mistake
that should never have happened. The event can cause lasting harm and
debilitating pain. According to
John Hopkins Medical Malpractice Study, an average of 4,000 never events occur each year. For those injured in
these cases, compensation should be sought.

4 Common Medical Never Events

A majority of the most frequent never events occur during a surgical procedure.
Surgery carries expected risks. However, when the surgeon or their staff
is negligent, they can cause irreparable harm.

Common never events include:

1.Surgery on the wrong body part – For patients going into surgery, they expect to be treated for the appropriate
appendage. If a doctor operates on your arm, when it should be your shoulder,
it can lead to lasting damage.

2.Wrong surgery – Surgeons should double check the patient’s records and history to
ensure they receive the appropriate treatment. There is no excuse for
performing the wrong surgery on a patient.

3.Surgery on wrong patient – Treating the wrong patient is not only inexcusable, it can cause extensive
harm. A doctor needs to know the patient in order to understand their
medical history. If the patient receives the wrong surgery, it can be
crippling, if not fatal.

4.Leaving foreign object in the body – Many tools are used during a surgery. Things like towels, scalpels, and
sponges litter the site. However, there have been instances where a surgeon
stitches the body, leaving one of the objects inside the patient.

These events should never happen. If doctors and hospitals make these reckless
mistakes, you can have claim to a large compensation.
Medical malpractice suits offer solace to suffering victims and hold parties responsible for
their actions. If you have been injured because of a never event, contact
our Houston medical malpractice attorneys. We have over 50 years of collective
experience and have served a wide array of injured parties. Call today
to schedule
a free consultation.