The third leading cause of death in the United States is medical negligence. It is also one of the most under-reported causes of death. Many of the deaths and injuries are during surgical procedures. Illinois residents who believe that bariatric surgery is their only option to help them lose weight might need to be aware that surgical mistakes seem to be frighteningly common during these procedures.
If the surgery is not done properly, patients can suffer from pain and discomfort for the rest of their lives — or worse. Under the best of circumstances, the procedure is a complicated one. It is often exacerbated by the fact that the patient also has other medical issues and is morbidly obese. Patients often need this surgery to save their lives, and errors made by surgeons could end up taking their lives instead.
Some of the issues seen in people who have this procedure done are damaged organs and internal bleeding. It might alarm Illinois readers to know that this procedure is being increasingly performed on children and teenagers. Any mistakes made could cut short their chances at normal lives.
Surgical mistakes can occur in any surgery, but bariatric surgery is notoriously fraught with issues. If a surgeon does not take the utmost care, the outcome can leave the patient with permanent and debilitating injuries — if he or she survives the procedure. The injured victim — or the family of a deceased patient — retains the right to file a medical malpractice suit, seeking damages. If negligence is proved, any restitution received could help with the significant medical expenses and other financial burdens that accompany such mistakes.
Source: emaxhealth.com, “Weight loss and medical negligence: The cost of errors“, Lana Bandoim, Feb. 20, 2016