Surgical Mistakes That Result In Amputations

Some medical malpractice occurrences are so egregious that the medical community considers them Never Events and targets them through education and protocols with the goal of reaching a zero occurrence rate. Unfortunately, these “never events” still happen in today’s medical facilities, including some of the most damaging surgical errors—those that result in unnecessary amputations.

An amputation has life-altering adverse consequences, including the need for prosthetics, physical and rehabilitative therapy requirements, and often an inability to return to a previous job position. It also dramatically changes personal appearance. When a medical mistake leads to an amputation, it’s medical malpractice with one of the worst possible outcomes for a patient short of diminished lifespan or death.

What Surgical Errors Cause Amputation Malpractice In the Medical Field?

Amputations sometimes occur due to trauma, such as from an equipment injury in the workplace or a serious car accident. In other cases, amputations are surgically prescribed as a treatment for conditions such as cancer, diabetic foot ulcers, or gangrene. Although unfortunate, these amputations are not caused by medical mistakes. Sadly, however, sometimes a doctor’s negligence results in an amputation that the patient otherwise would not have had to endure. Most medical errors resulting in amputations are surgical mistakes. Examples occur in the following examples:

Wrong-Site or Wrong-Side Surgery

One of the most preventable surgical errors is wrong-site surgery. This occurs when a doctor performs a surgical procedure on the wrong body part. For example, if a patient is scheduled for a prescribed amputation due to diabetic foot ulcers on their left foot, and a doctor performs the amputation on the right foot. This is particularly damaging because, in most cases, the originally planned surgery is still necessary, resulting in the patient losing both feet.

Wrong-site or wrong-side surgeries typically result from unclear pre-op markings, errors on consent forms, an inadequate verification process, or other communication problems. Individual factors, such as a medical provider’s inadequate training, stress, or fatigue, can also cause surgical mistakes to occur with tragic results, such as amputations.

Wrong-Patient Surgery

This egregious medical malpractice occurs when an identification error results in a surgeon performing an operation on the wrong patient. An example of wrong-patient surgery occurs when a scheduled amputation for a bone tumor patient named Carrie Johnson is erroneously performed on a patient named Carrie Jones, who is in the surgical unit for a scheduled gall bladder surgery. This form of medical malpractice occurs due to administrative errors, improper pre-surgical protocols, and inadequate record reviews.

Unintentional Surgical Injury or Infection

Finally, sometimes mistakes during surgery or negligent post-operative care result in amputations. For example, if a surgeon damages a nearby blood vessel while performing knee surgery, resulting in circulatory disruption and irreparable damage to the tissue in the leg below the injury, it could require an amputation of the affected limb.

In other instances, negligent post-op care could result in the delayed treatment of a surgical infection, ending in an amputation to prevent the deadly spread of an infection, such as gangrene. Compartment syndrome, a condition in which decreased circulation results from pressure due to inflammation, may also result from negligent post-op care. Compartment syndrome may cause tissue death, requiring amputation.

Proving Liability For Surgical Errors Resulting In Amputations

Once a doctor/patient relationship is established between a medical provider and a patient, a legal obligation comes into place. Proving liability for a surgical mistake that led to an amputation requires first pinpointing the negligent action that led to the amputation and then identifying the liable party. Proving liability for medical malpractice requires demonstrating that the case meets the following legal standard of medical malpractice liability:

• A doctor/patient relationship was in place at the time the malpractice occurred
• The doctor owed a duty to the patient to treat them at the medical community’s accepted standard of care
• They breached this duty through negligence
• The breach of duty directly caused injury to the patient
• The patient suffered damages from the injury

Damages in a medical malpractice case that caused an amputation are physically and financially costly because of the life-altering implications of an amputation.

What are the Damages in a Surgical Malpractice Case After an Amputation?

Living with an amputated limb or other body part presents significant challenges. The difficulties become even more extreme in cases where the error caused the patient to lose both limbs because the original condition that warranted an amputation required a second surgery. Although a successful medical malpractice claim cannot erase the injury or return the lost limb, it brings the victim compensation for damages such as past and future medical expenses, lost earnings, reduced future earning ability, and compensation for pain and suffering. Because an amputation is a catastrophic injury, the injury victim may recover additional compensation for their loss of enjoyment of life.

Preventing Surgical Mistakes Ending In Amputations

The Joint Commission’s Universal Protocol for preventing surgical errors, such as wrong-site and wrong-patient surgeries, has minimized the occurrence of egregious errors. Unfortunately, sometimes medical providers cut corners, provide inadequate training, or fail to adhere to the proper protocol. When used correctly, the protocol prevents surgical mistakes by requiring the following:

• A pre-procedure verification that all information is correct
• Accurate marking of the correct surgical site
• Conducting a pre-operative “time-out” for all members of the surgical team to verify key information

Although surgical errors occur less frequently since hospitals implemented the universal protocol, these never events still happen, leaving devastating physical and emotional trauma to the malpractice victim and their family.

How Can an Arizona Medical Malpractice Attorney From Knapp & Roberts Help?

Nothing can undo the harm of a wrongful amputation caused by a medical provider’s negligence, but a successful medical malpractice claim brings the injury victim and their family a sense of financial accountability and justice while also relieving the financial consequences of the injury. If you’ve been the victim of an amputation resulting from medical malpractice, call Knapp & Roberts to speak to an experienced Phoenix medical malpractice attorney who is ready to take prompt action on your behalf.