The American Society for Plastic Surgeons indicates that nearly 130,000 abdominoplasty procedures occur every year. Abdominoplasty is commonly referred to as a “tummy tuck” as is a type of elective plastic surgery procedure that removes both excess skin and fat in the abdominal area, as well as restores separated or weak muscles. An abdominoplasty creates a profile that appears both firmer and smoother. If you suffered injuries following a tummy tuck due to medical malpractice and negligence of a healthcare provider, find out how a Los Angeles abdominoplasty lawyer may be able to help. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 794-0444 for a free case review with a team member today.
Understanding Abdominoplasty
As individuals age, they may develop an issue cosmetically with their abdomen that involves loose or sagging skin. The common reasons for this may include simple aging, pregnancy, prior surgeries, significant and severe fluctuations in weight, or heredity. It is important to note that this is an elective surgery and not a necessary one for health reasons. However, even in elective surgeries, patients can experience complications that result from medical malpractice that cause serious injuries or even death.
Types of Complications Resulting from Abdominoplasty
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), after losing large amounts of weight, many patients feel the need to undergo an abdominoplasty to remove the excess skin and tissue. Patients that make the decision to receive an abdominoplasty often do so to feel better about their appearance. In most cases, these types of plastic surgeries go smoothly without incident. When qualified and experienced surgeons perform this type of surgery, most patients end up with the results they seek and a better overall feeling of themselves. However, if a plastic surgeon or medical facility makes mistakes or is negligent in some way with respect to the abdominoplasty, the patient can suffer serious complications including severe injuries or even death. Some of the types of complications resulting from abdominoplasty and medical malpractice include the following:
- Internal bleeding following the abdominoplasty
- Nerve damage
- Necrosis (death) of surrounding tissue
- Wound separation leading to infections or sepsis
- Post-surgery infections including gangrene, staph, or sepsis
- Vascular injuries
- Heart failure
- Death
For a free legal consultation with a Abdominoplasty Lawyer serving Los Angeles, call (800) 794-0444
Medical Malpractice
Every medical practitioner has a duty and responsibility to ensure that they take care and follow all precautions established by the medical community with respect to their patients. Failure to do so can result in medical malpractice and a patient with severe injuries or even a fatality. In order to establish a medical malpractice claim, a victim must show the following:
- Duty. The medical practitioner, surgeon, hospital facility, or hospital staff had a duty of care with respect to the patient undergoing the abdominoplasty.
- Breach. Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider or medical facility breaches its duty of care owed to a patient regarding a particular course of treatment, surgery, or aftercare.
- Causation. The injuries or losses suffered by the victim must come as a direct result of the medical malpractice related to the abdominoplasty.
- Damages. The patient (victim) must have suffered actual injuries (either physical or psychological, or both) or financial harm in some way as a direct result of the breach of duty by the medical professional with respect to the abdominoplasty.
If you suffered injuries following an abdominoplasty due to medical malpractice learn how a Los Angeles abdominoplasty lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can help you build a medical malpractice case to pursue compensation for your injuries and losses.
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Types of Recoveries Available for Victims of Medical Malpractice
Because a victim of medical malpractice suffers injuries and losses as a result of the damage suffered due to the negligence or intentional misconduct of a medical provider, there are several different types of recoveries available depending on their own unique set of facts and circumstances. Typically, recoveries for victims of medical malpractice fall into either economic or noneconomic damages.
Economic Damages
A victim of medical negligence has the legal right to pursue economic damages including the amount of all the additional medical bills related to the injuries suffered, lost wages due to the inability to return to work, and any other actual bills incurred as a result of the medical negligence.
Noneconomic Damages
In some cases, victims of medical malpractice suffer noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering. The calculations determining pain and suffering often prove challenging and complex. Consulting with a Los Angeles abdominoplasty lawyer can help you understand your legal rights regarding pain and suffering calculations.
Factors Impacting Recovery Amounts
Every medical malpractice case involving an abdominoplasty will have its own set of facts and circumstances. However, the following factors will ultimately impact the recovery amounts of the victim:
- The seriousness or severity of the injuries resulting from the medical malpractice.
- Whether or not permanent or life-long injuries resulted from the medical malpractice.
- The amount of medical expenses incurred by the victim as a result of the medical malpractice.
- The ability (or lack of ability) of a victim to return to work and daily life.
- The cost of future physical therapy, rehabilitation, or mental health therapy.
- The cost of nursing care or in-home care or assistance needed as a result of a permanent disability resulting from the medical malpractice.
- The loss of wages resulting from the inability to return to work.
- The loss of future income as a result of the victim remaining unable to return to work.
- Pain and suffering.
- Punitive damages (if the court determines that the medical malpractice had particularly egregious or reckless behavior involved on the part of the medical facility or healthcare professional, the court may award punitive damages which are a way to punish the negligent party for their actions).
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After an abdominoplasty, patients expect to have a new and refreshed outlook on life as they have more confidence in their bodies and appearance. If you suffered injuries or losses related to medical malpractice during your tummy tuck, learn how a Los Angeles abdominoplasty lawyer may be able to help. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 794-0444 to speak to a member of our team today. The initial consultation is free, and you pay nothing out of pocket and nothing upfront. We only take our fee if we secure a settlement on your behalf.
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