No one undergoing surgery in Illinois expects their medical team to make a mistake. However, surgical errors happen with alarming frequency in Cook County, often resulting in severe, potentially lifelong injuries that require years of expensive medical treatments for patients.
At the Chicago law firm of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., our experienced medical malpractice lawyers have witnessed the devastating impacts that can occur from surgical errors, including wrong site procedures and other types of doctor negligence. It is essential to be aware of the frequency and types of common surgical errors and to check your doctor or hospital’s background.
The Illinois Hospital Report Card
Patient safety should always be the top concern for surgeons, nurses, and anyone else involved in a surgical procedure. It’s up to surgeons, hospitals, and other medical facilities to institute proper protocols to minimize surgical errors and avoid causing further harm to patients. Unfortunately, surgical errors remain an epidemic in Illinois and across the U.S.
The World Health Organization reports that nearly ten percent of patients worldwide suffer injuries through medical errors. Of these injured patients, about ten percent suffered injuries in a surgical setting, including pre- and post-surgical care. Healthcare professionals refer to these errors as “never events,” as they should never happen to any patients.
As a consumer, you have the right to pertinent information about when and where these never events are most likely to occur. The State Department of Health issues the Illinois Hospital Report Card every year. While this report card does not include Illinois surgical errors statistics, it gives the public and patients information on patient safety and satisfaction at healthcare facilities statewide.
This information includes the following:
- An overview of the types of surgery the hospital provides
- Costs associated with services
- Ratings on the quality of care patients receive
- Measures taken by the hospital to avoid errors and ensure patient safety
- Results of patient satisfaction surveys
- Information on the staffing and the amount of nursing care each patient is likely to receive, depending on their condition.
By using the information available through the Illinois Hospital Report Card, people facing hospital visits and surgical procedures can take a more active role in choosing their healthcare provider.
The Best and Worst Rated Hospitals in Cook County
When compiling surgical error statistics in Cook County, the Illinois Hospital Report Card lists various factors to consider. Providing the right treatment at the right time, ensuring the correct type and dosage of antibiotics are given, monitoring intravenous lines, and providing surgical site wound care all go into the overall experience. These factors have the potential to significantly impact your overall chances of recovery.
While the majority of hospitals in Cook County do not provide specific information on the rate at which surgical errors occur, patient surveys are a key indicator of whether a hospital is doing its job in terms of patient safety. According to the most recent Illinois Hospital Report Card’s patient satisfaction ratings, the percentage of patients who would recommend receiving treatment at some Cook County hospitals is:
- Endeavor Evanston Hospital – 76 percent
- Endeavor Skokie Hospital – 76 percent
- Loyola Gottlieb Memorial Hospital – 55 percent
- Advocate Trinity Hospital – 54 percent
- Mount Sinai Hospital – 42 percent
- West Suburban Medical Center – 42 percent
These figures show that hospitals and other medical facilities in Cook County have a long way to go to improve patient safety and satisfaction. The numbers for Mount Sinai Hospital and West Suburban Medical Center are especially alarming and indicate the need for significant changes at these facilities.
Common Surgical Errors
Surgical errors come in many forms and include mistakes that occur in the pre- and post-surgery stages of patient care. According to surgical errors statistics reported by the American College of Surgeons, some common examples of surgical errors include:
- Wrong Site Errors – These errors occur when the surgeon performs the right procedure but on the wrong site. An example would be a patient requiring a procedure to be performed on the left side of the body, while the doctor mistakenly operates on the right.
- Wrong Procedure Errors – These surgical errors involve the medical provider performing the wrong type of medical procedure, such as performing a mastectomy on a breast cancer patient when a lumpectomy was indicated.
- Wrong Patient Errors – These errors can occur when charts get confused, perhaps because patients have similar names. These errors can be particularly dangerous if the mistake is not uncovered, and a patient fails to get the proper treatment.
- Anesthesia errors – Administering too much or too little anesthesia can lead to serious complications. Too much can cause brain damage or death, while too little can result in the patient waking up during surgery, causing severe pain and psychological trauma.
- Infections Due to Poor Sanitation – If surgical tools, equipment, or the operating room aren’t properly sanitized, infections can develop. Post-surgical infections can lead to longer recovery times and, in some cases, life-threatening conditions.
- Surgical Tools Left Inside the Body – Surgeons may accidentally leave sponges, clamps, or other instruments inside a patient. This can lead to severe pain, infection, and the need for additional surgeries.
- Errors Causing Nerve Damage – During surgery, a healthcare provider can sever or damage nerves, leading to chronic pain, numbness, or even paralysis, depending on the location of the error.
- Failure to Monitor the Patient Post-Surgery – Inadequate monitoring after surgery can result in missed complications, such as internal bleeding or blood clots, which can become life-threatening if not addressed promptly.
All of these “never events” can result from doctor negligence or the negligence of hospital staff in recording and relaying the proper information.
How Do I Know If My Doctor Committed Surgical Errors in The Past?
It is often difficult to find out if your doctor has committed surgical errors in the past or has been accused of committing medical malpractice. You can check the records at the hospitals your doctor practices at by visiting the Illinois Hospital Report Card.
Allow Our Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers to Help You
If you or someone in your family suffered an injury due to a surgical error, we can help you hold the doctor or medical facility accountable through a medical malpractice lawsuit. Our Chicago medical malpractice attorneys have decades of experience handling these tough cases and have secured over $2.5 billion in compensation for our clients, including some of the largest personal injury awards in Illinois legal history.
Those personal injury awards include a jury verdict of $32,700,000 and a bench verdict of $29,100,000 in medical malpractice cases. We’ve also achieved medical malpractice settlements of $20,600,000 and $19,500,000, among others.
We serve clients in Chicago, Waukegan, and throughout Illinois. Call or contact us online today for a free, personal review of your case.
