Surgery aims to make people healthier. However, sometimes it can lead to more problems. Surgical errors, often referred to as “never events” because they are events that should never happen, can have severe consequences for patients. Even with better medical equipment and rules, mistakes during surgery still happen. This can cause a lot of stress, increase medical bills, and cause it to take longer to heal. Understanding these errors is the first step towards prevention. In this article, we’ll explore the most common types of surgical mistakes and provide insights on how patients can protect themselves.
Wrong-Site Surgery
One of the most shocking surgical errors is wrong-site surgery, where a procedure is performed on the wrong part of the body. This can occur due to miscommunication, poor pre-surgical planning, or failure to check the surgical site properly before the operation. Preventing such a mistake is crucial and starts with the surgical team strictly adhering to the safety protocols, including the pre-operative verification process and marking the correct site on the patient’s body. Many institutions now require a “time-out” procedure right before the surgery begins, where the surgical team pauses to verify the patient’s identity, the surgical site, and the planned procedure one final time. The goal is to cut down on mistakes made by people. This is part of a bigger plan to make sure surgeries are safe and done right.
Surgical Instruments Left Inside the Patient
Another serious error involves leaving instruments or surgical sponges inside the patient’s body. Forgetting items inside a patient during surgery can cause infections, pain, and even more severe health problems. This might mean the patient needs more surgeries to remove those items. To prevent such mistakes, hospitals count all surgical tools before and after surgery. Some hospitals have begun using barcoded surgical sponges and instruments that can be scanned to maintain a precise count, further reducing the risk of these items being left behind. This technology serves as an additional safeguard, enhancing traditional counting methods and improving overall surgical safety.
Incorrect Procedure Performed
Sometimes, a patient might undergo a completely different procedure than what was initially planned. This can happen due to miscommunication among the medical team or incorrect patient records. Ensuring that all medical staff review and confirm the patient’s details and intended procedure before surgery can help mitigate such risks. Hospitals now have more checks in place to make surgeries safer before an operation starts. They use checklists and ask patients to confirm details, too. This extra step helps ensure the surgery team knows precisely what to do, lowering the risk of mistakes.
Anesthesia Errors
Anesthesia is critical for many surgeries, but errors in its administration can be particularly dangerous. These errors may include giving too much anesthesia, not enough, or using a type that triggers an allergic reaction. Anesthesiologists must know a patient’s health history before surgery, including any allergies or past problems with anesthesia. Monitoring a patient’s vital signs during surgery is very important. The teams handling the surgery and anesthesia need to communicate well with each other to keep the patient safe.
Nerve Damage During Surgery
During surgical procedures, accidental nerve damage can occur, potentially leading to long-term disability. Surgeons must be extremely careful when operating near nerves. Surgeons use special imaging tech during operations to avoid hitting nerves. They also keep learning new ways to be more careful and cause less harm. Having a team of experts and the right tools helps make surgery safer.
Thanks to better technology and smarter methods, surgery today is safer. But mistakes still happen, and they can be a big deal. Knowing the common slip-ups, like operating on the wrong part, leaving tools inside someone, doing the wrong surgery, messing up with anesthesia, or hurting nerves, helps people look out for themselves. These include confirming all details with their surgical team, understanding the procedure thoroughly, and ensuring that the hospital practices proper safety protocols. It is essential to know and be part of every step of your care as a patient. Knowing what’s going on helps protect your health, especially regarding surgery.