Surgical Errors                                    

A recent study showed that 12% of hospital deaths are related to adverse surgical events, with over half of these being preventable. Often, such needless deaths are the result of a member of the surgical team’s inability to meet his responsibility.

For example:

• If the anesthesiologist fails to monitor patient’s vital signs or breathing.
• If the nurses fail to keep track of instruments, sponges and needles used in surgery.
• If the surgeon fails to determine what kind of operation the patient needs and fails to perform it properly.
• If the hospital fails to make sure that everyone involved in the operation is well-trained and well-rested.

Common surgical mistakes include bowel perforations, artery perforations, sutured ureters, compartment syndrome, deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and retained objects.