Common Surgical Errors to Be Mindful Of

When a New Mexican patient goes in for surgery, it is important for them to understand every risk of their procedure. While everyone hopes that their surgery proceeds without a hitch, accidents and errors can still occur, and patients have the right to know about it.

So what are the most common surgical errors? The Patient Safety Network states that one is called wrong procedure surgery, in which a patient goes in for one type of surgery and accidentally has a different one performed. This is primarily due to labeling errors or miscommunication of some sort. Another similar issue involves incorrect operating sites, which is a mistake usually caused for the same reasons. In these scenarios, a patient who needs to have one area operated on ends up with a different area is operated on instead.

WebMD states that it is also somewhat common for surgeons to accidentally leave items behind in the patient after a surgery has been completed. This can include cleaning items like cloths or sponges, and sometimes might even include things like surgical shears. While these mistakes are normally nonlethal, they can cause the patient great discomfort or pain. Additional surgical trauma must then be inflicted to remove the item, which many are understandably unhappy with.

The good news is, even common surgical errors aren’t happening left and right. However, the possibility that they may occur is still there. Surgery patients should be aware of these errors and mistakes so they can keep an eye out during the recovery period in case anything is amiss.

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