Anytime people in Massachusetts need or elect to undergo a surgical procedure they must have the ability to trust in the quality of care that they will receive. This trust should extend not just to the surgeons but to all staff who will be involved in the operations. From nurses to anesthesiologists and more, every member of surgical teams must work together to ensure no harm is done to patients.
Sadly, a surgical center that routinely performs eye operations has experienced a seriously high number of errors and complications in recent years. A report issued by the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety and Medical Error Reduction notes that 28 patients experienced serious harm due to cataract-related procedures. These 28 injuries occurred between 2011 and 2015 with 16 of the injuries happening in 2014 and 2015. On one single day in 2015, a total of five patients were injured.
Reports indicate that failure to take breaks as outlined in surgical protocol and poor doctor handwriting are among the causes of some of the mistakes. Five people had the wrong eyes numbed, five people experienced permanent vision loss due to injection errors, one person had the wrong eye operated one and 15 people walked away from their procedures with the incorrect lenses. In another case, a surgery was performed on the wrong patient.
Situations like these should not happen but, when they do, victims deserve compensation. Meeting with an attorney may be a good way to learn what can be done in the wake of these incidents.
Source: The Boston Globe, “Report faults cataract surgery errors” Liz Kowalczyk, May 12, 2016