Every day, patients in Massachusetts and elsewhere rely on medical professionals to diagnose and treat them. An overworked medical professional could make an error, causing a patient to suffer great harm. Medical errors could be the source of serious medical conditions or even cause the unfortunate death of patients.
How common are deaths post-surgery? With regard to surgical errors, many patients are afraid that complications may arise from the procedure that they are about to undergo. While this is understandable, what isn’t comprehensible is the fact that a patient could suffer harm post-surgery because of errors made during the surgical procedure.
When looking at this matter through a global lens, a current study found that patients who underwent a non-cardiac surgery were more likely to die after they leave the hospital than when in the operating room. This study looked at more than 40,000 adults age 45 and older who were operated on in 14 countries.
The study found that 1.8% of these patients died within 30 days of their surgery. This was due to various causes, but 45% were caused by major bleeding, injury to the heart, severe infection or sepsis. It was further discovered that only 0.7% of deaths occurred in the operating room, while 29% took place after the patient was discharged from the hospital. This study has brought light to the importance of post-surgical care but also the impacts surgical errors could have after the patient has left the hospital.
The death of a loved one is difficult to experience, and if you believe the cause of death is related to medical errors caused by a medical professional, surviving family members might have legal recourses to take. A medical malpractice action could help them hold a negligent party accountable, assisting with the collection of compensation for damages suffered.
