New Port Richey Medical Malpractice Lawyer
According to national statistics, preventable medical errors are the third leading cause of death, after heart disease and cancer. Medical errors are responsible for at least 250,000 deaths each year.
More than four times that number of people suffer serious injuries from medical errors. For those victims who are fortunate enough to survive, they are often left with long-term, sometimes life long disabilities.
If you or a loved one have been a victim of a medical error, it is important to consult with a New Port Richey medical malpractice lawyer to find out what damages you may be entitled to.
Medication Errors
Approximately 1.5 million people each year are given the wrong medication – such as the incorrect drug or incorrect dose. Another common medication error occurs when doctors do not pay attention to the different medications their patient is on and prescribe a drug that can have serious, even fatal, consequences when mixed with another medication.
Too Many Blood Transfusions
Although blood transfusions are one of the most common procedures performed in hospitals, a 2011 study determined that more than half of the blood transfusions given to patients are “inappropriate.”
There have been multiple medical studies done which have concluded that the more transfusions a patient receives, the more susceptible they are to serious infections, which can lead to diseases and even death. A medical malpractice lawyer in New Port Richey can help define whether or not an individual’s transfusion was necessary and start a claim on their behalf.
Infections
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirm that one in every 25 patients catch a healthcare-associated infection (HAI). This means that more than 700,000 hospital patients develop an HAI annually. Approximately 75,000 of those patients die from the infections they contract.
Many of these HAIs would never even happen if medical personnel remembered to wash their hands before every patient engagement. Patients are also exposed to dangerous infections via the tubes used for fluids and medicines which are inserted intravenously.
Delayed or Misdiagnosis
When physicians fail to properly diagnosis a patient, or lab workers make errors that result in a misdiagnosis, there can be a delay in treatment which could mean the difference between surviving their condition and dying.
This preventable medical error happens too often. In fact, each year, at least 12 million people in this country are misdiagnosed. A New Port Richey medical malpractice attorney can stand by your side to ensure that
Surgical Errors
Surgical errors account for more than 4,000 fatalities each year. Study after study reveal alarming numbers of preventable mistakes that surgeons make on patients who have literally put their lives in the surgeons’ hands.
At least 20 times per week, surgeons operate on the wrong body part of a patient. And at least 39 times per week, surgeons leave foreign objects in patients’ bodies, including surgical sponges and towels. If this has happened to you or a loved one, a medical malpractice attorney in New Port Richey can help.
Anesthesia Errors
One of the most dangerous surgical errors are mistakes with anesthesia. This is because even what may seem like a minor error can result in severe injury to the patient.
One study conducted by the American Society of Anesthesiologists found that 45 percent of the closed medical malpractice claims filed because of an anesthesia error left the patient with brain damage or resulted in their death.
Contact a Lawyer
When we go to the hospital because we are sick or injured, it is because we think our doctors, surgeons, and other medical staff will provide treatment in order for us get better. No one goes to the hospital and imagines they will come out much worse than when they went in. Or not come out at all.
If you or a loved one has been injured or developed an illness due to negligence on the part of a doctor or medical facility, a skilled New Port Richey medical malpractice attorney will fight to get you the compensation you deserve. Contact our office today for a free consultation.