When we think of amputation injuries, we usually think of catastrophic accidents that result in severed limbs. However, sometimes these terrible and life-altering injuries can be caused by medical negligence. If you suffered a loss of limb or extremity due to a medical professional’s negligent actions, you need the skilled assistance of an experienced medical malpractice attorney to ensure you can be compensated for your medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and pain and suffering.
How Can Medical Negligence Result in Amputation?
Amputations are sometimes necessary, like if you were injured in a car accident and the limb cannot be saved. Unfortunately, in some cases a patient’s limbs or extremities might be amputated unnecessarily. When you believe this has occurred, you need to speak with an attorney.
Some of the most common causes of amputation injuries caused by medical negligence include:
- Wrong-site surgery: This is a type of error that is often referred to as “never event” due to the severe and devastating nature of it. In other words, a wrong-site surgery should never happen. If a patient needs a limb amputated and the surgeon amputates the wrong limb, this egregious mistake can change the life of the patient forever.
- Failure to treat blood clots: Monitoring a patient after a procedure is crucial to ensure they don’t develop a dangerous blood clot. When post-operative blood clots are undiagnosed and left untreated, they could result in the necessitation of amputation surgery.
- Failure to treat trauma: Physicians are trained that patients who have recently sustained a trauma, such as a car accident, may develop internal swelling in their limbs, which is known as Compartment Syndrome. This syndrome requires immediate treatment to release the pressure inside a person’s limbs, especially in legs. Failing to properly treat this dangerous syndrome can result in devastating injuries that require amputation of a limb. Proper diagnosis and treatment of Compartment Syndrome can prevent the amputation of the limb.
- Infection: Infections are common after surgical procedures, which is another reason why post-operative care is so important. When left untreated, a severe infection can also require an amputation surgery that could have been avoided with proper care.
- Incorrect medication: In severe cases, administering or prescribing the wrong dosage of medication or the incorrect type of medication can result in the loss of a limb.
- Misdiagnosis: When certain conditions and diseases are not properly diagnosed or not diagnosed on time, this risks the worsening or spread of it, which can result in a need for amputation surgery of an affected limb.
Contact Our Knowledgeable Medical Malpractice Team Today
If you suffered an amputation injury that was caused by medical negligence, now is the time to take legal action and hold the responsible party liable for your injury. At the Law Offices of David C. Rash, our medical malpractice team has a reputation for excellence and is backed by over two decades of experience. Our team frequently tackles complicated cases that range from birth injuries and cruise medical malpractice to hospital errors and prescription errors. As individuals, we trust medical professionals to improve our health conditions, not make them worse. Our team can pursue justice on your behalf and recover damages that include medical treatment, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.
Begin filing your medical malpractice claim today by calling our team at (954) 914-7116 for a free case evaluation, or contact us online.