Surgical errors
A bad result is not always a mistake
Every operation carries risk, and a complication is not the same as negligence. The question is whether the surgeon or the team did something a careful one would not have done: the wrong site, a wrong cut, an instrument or sponge left behind, an injury to a nearby organ that went unnoticed, or a warning sign in recovery that nobody acted on.
The operative report, the anesthesia record, the count sheets and the nursing notes tell the story in the order it happened. A surgeon in the same field reads them before Estella decides anything.
The records
What the records can show
The same few documents come up in almost every surgical case. A missing one is often telling too.
The consent form
What risks you were told about, and whether the one that happened was among them.
Operative and anesthesia reports
What was done, what went wrong and when the team noticed.
Count sheets
The tally of instruments and sponges before and after, signed by the staff in the room.
Recovery and nursing notes
Whether signs of trouble were seen, charted and passed up the chain.
Surgery, asked and answered
Does a complication mean the surgeon was negligent?
No. Many complications happen even when everything is done correctly. The records and a physician in the same specialty help tell the two apart.
Should I ask for my records first?
You are entitled to ask the hospital for them. If you would rather not, send what you have and the office can request the rest with your signed permission.
How long do I have?
Time limits for medical claims are short, and they differ by state and by who was involved. Call before you wait to see how recovery goes.
Is the surgeon told that I called?
No. A records review is confidential, and nobody is contacted without your say-so.
Had an operation that went wrong?
Send the date, the hospital and what happened. The records review is where every case here begins.