Inadequate Postoperative Care that Amounts to Medical Malpractice
Medical negligence can occur with regard to postoperative care. Doctors and nurses must monitor their patients diligently following a surgical procedure to make sure that they are healing properly and that there are no complications. A fairly common postoperative complication is infection. An infection in the area of the surgical site can spread and lead to sepsis, which is a bacterial infection that has entered the bloodstream. If not addressed and treated immediately, sepsis can lead to organ failure and death.
Proper post-operative care is a vital part of the patient’s healing process. If a doctor fails to uphold the acceptable standards of care in monitoring postoperative care, the patient may suffer serious consequences. If a patient suffers an injury as a result of negligent postoperative care, they may be able to file a medical malpractice claim against the doctor, nurses and hospital that was responsible for their medical care.
An unfortunate case of negligent postoperative care took place in Charleston, West Virginia. A man had a surgical procedure performed on his nose, and when his doctor was finished, he packed the nasal cavity with gauze that had been soaked in bacitracin ointment. When he was sent home, the patient was instructed to leave the packing in his nose and return for a follow-up appointment in 10-14 days. The patient returned to see his doctor, who told him that he was healing appropriately, but he did not remove the packing material at that time, which should have been done according to the standard of care following such a procedure.
Three years later after suffering from recurring headaches, nasal discharge and pain in his sinus cavities, the patient saw a different doctor who removed the packing. Following the removal of the packing, the patient reported that the headaches, the nasal discharge and the pain disappeared. The patient said that the packing materials that were left in his sins cavities for three years after surgery as opposed to a few days was the cause of his discomfort. The patient and his wife have brought a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor and hospital.
Leaving the packing materials inside of a patient’s sinus cavity is a fairly obvious example of medical negligence – but not every unfavorable outcome or complication from a surgical procedure equates to medical negligence. Every case is different. Under the law, the plaintiff must be able to prove that a medical professional’s negligence, or failure to comport with the accepted standard of care for that type of procedure with a patient under similar circumstances caused their injury. So a plaintiff must prove that they indeed suffered an injury, and prove a direct causation between the responsible party and their injury. In order to prove causation, medical malpractice attorneys hire medical experts in the same specialty to investigate the incident and testify as to how the medical professional’s conduct deviated from the standard of care, and how that deviation caused the plaintiff’s injury.
For more than 40 years, Barry J. Nace has worked to protect the rights of victims of medical malpractice and other personal injuries. Throughout his career, he has proven that multimillion-dollar awards are not a matter of luck, but the result of experience, hard work, outstanding trial skills, and an unquestioned dedication to justice. To date, Mr. Nace has produced dozens of verdicts and settlements in excess of $1 million with three in excess of $30 million. Read more about Barry J. Nace.