Critical errors and mistakes can occur during surgery when doctors are not careful with their tools and techniques. When this happens, a needle, sponge, clip, or a piece of surgical material may inadvertently get left behind in the patient’s body. You may hear objects left inside a patient’s body by mistake referred to as “retained surgical items.”
Retained surgical instruments can cause internal pain or bleeding, provoke an infection, and damage or puncture internal organs. A patient could even die from the effects of surgical tools left inside the body.
Patients who are suffering as a result of the surgeon’s tools mistakenly left inside the body may be able to sue the surgeon, the staff, or the hospital for their injuries in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
If this happened to you, a Los Angeles retained surgical instruments lawyer from Pintas & Mullins Law Firm may be able to pursue compensation on your behalf.
Call us today for a free consultation on your case at (800) 970-4884. We offer representation on a contingency fee basis where our clients pay nothing in advance for us to begin working for them.
Dangers of Retained Surgical Instruments
Any objects left inside a patient after surgery can cause serious harm.
Sometimes, doctors immediately recognize the retained surgical items during follow-up care with the patient. This generally means that extra surgery will be required to undo the mistake. The patient has to start again, adding further costs and expenses to the experience. Plus, recovery time will have to restart for the patient.
If doctors do not discover the instrument during follow-up procedures, the consequences could be worse. These patients may experience:
- Pain: a patient may feel a retained surgical instrument inside their body. This can create significant pain and discomfort.
- Infection: an infection inside the body from retained surgical instruments can lead to multiple other symptoms or illnesses.
- Punctures of organs: if a surgeon leaves part of a scalpel or another sharp object inside the patient’s body, it can rip or puncture internal organs. This could lead to internal bleeding, organ failure, or other severe consequences.
- Accidental death: in some cases, a patient can die if not re-operated on soon enough to remove the surgical instruments.
A litany of troubles can follow a botched surgery. Patients may require extensive medical treatments, along with a substantial recovery period, to heal from this type of accident.
A Retained Surgical Instrument Could Be Medical Malpractice
A surgeon’s role is to stay focused on the surgery, and the surgery team has to have similar clarity to manage the operation’s processes. Despite their best intentions, a surgeon could leave an instrument inside of a patient by mistake. This could make the surgeon liable to the patient in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Medical malpractice means that a doctor’s negligence harmed their patience, whether it was intentional or not. In order to establish medical malpractice in California, you may need to produce testimony from a medical expert that the care you received fell below a reasonable standard, and that another doctor in the same situation would have acted differently.
A Los Angeles retained surgical instruments lawyer from Pintas & Mullins Law Firm may be able to fight for compensation on your behalf when we represent you. This could include gathering evidence and hiring medical expert witnesses to testify in your case, if necessary.
For a free legal consultation with a Retained Surgical Instruments Lawyer serving Los Angeles, call (800) 970-4884
Working with a Lawyer on Your Case
When you work with Pintas & Mullins Law Firm on your case, a Los Angeles retained surgical instruments lawyer from our firm may be able to:
- Answer your questions and keep you updated throughout the case
- Handle all communications, deadlines, and paperwork on your behalf
- Conduct your case according to California law
- Investigate your case and identify the liable party
- Collect evidence of the responsible party’s liability
- Hire medical experts to testify in your defense
- Gather evidence of the extent and value of your losses
- Negotiate with the responsible party’s insurance company for a settlement
- Take your case to trial if they are unwilling to make you a fair offer
To learn more about these services, call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today.
Los Angeles Retained Surgical Instruments Lawyer Near Me (800) 970-4884
Compensation in a Retained Surgical Instruments Case
In a successful retained surgical instruments case, you may be able to recover compensation for:
- The original surgery
- All treatment required to remove and heal from the retained surgical instrument
- Current and future costs of treatment for your related injuries
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capability
- Pain and suffering
- And more
If your loved one passed away due to a retained surgical instrument injury in Los Angeles, you may be able to recover compensation for a different set of damages in a wrongful death lawsuit. Pintas & Mullins Law Firm handles wrongful death lawsuits as well. Call us today to learn more about this type of legal action.
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Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm Today
You do not need to face settlement negotiations or a medical malpractice lawsuit on your own. A Los Angeles retained surgical instruments lawyer from Pintas & Mullins Law Firm may be able to represent you while you concentrate on your recovery.
Do not delay if you are considering legal action for your case. Per CCP § 340.5, California imposes a one-year statute of limitations, or legal time limit, on medical malpractice lawsuits. The clock starts ticking once you discover your injuries but does not extend longer than three years from when the injuries first occurred. Some circumstances could alter this deadline in your case.
For a free consultation with a member of our team, including a review of what legal deadlines apply to your case, call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today at (800) 970-4884.
We may be able to represent you on a contingency fee basis, where you do not pay attorney’s fees unless and until you recover compensation in a settlement offer or court awards.
Call or text (800) 970-4884 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
