A surgical operation is one of the most invasive medical procedures a person can undergo. In theory, the surgeon conducting the operation and the anesthesiologist administering drugs should have years of training and experience to help ensure the safety of the patient.
The vast majority of surgeries proceed with few complications. When issues arise, they are often unpredictable and unusual. That being said, there are certain types of mistakes that occur in a surgical environment that should never happen. Professionals refer to these as never events. Never events happened dozens of times each week across the United States. When they happen, the patient involved may suffer major consequences.
What are the most common never events reported in the United States?
Wrong-side or wrong-site surgeries
Some patients have to make marks on their own bodies using permanent markers before surgery. Others have to look at markings made by the surgical team prior to going into the operating theater. The goal of such markings is to ensure that the surgeon works on the correct body part or the right side of the body. Operations where surgeons perform the right procedure on the wrong location can have a number of major medical consequences. The patient may require a second procedure. In some cases, they may not be able to undergo corrective operations because of the harm caused by the initial surgery.
Wrong-patient or wrong-procedure errors
Some surgeons only perform one operation per day. Others may perform multiple surgical interventions in quick succession. They can potentially become confused about their schedule and about the needs of a particular patient. Errors where surgeons perform the wrong procedure on a patient or operate on the wrong patient can have a host of major medical implications for the affected patient.
Retained foreign bodies
The most common never event involves retained foreign bodies. In plain English, the surgical team closes the incision when there is still an object inside the patient. Items ranging from scalpels and rigid metal clamps to gauze can end up enclosed inside a surgical incision after a procedure. Retained foreign bodies can cause secondary trauma, inflammation and infections. They usually require revision procedures to correct.
Those affected by surgical never events may have grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit. Holding a medical professional accountable for making egregious errors can lead to compensation and may improve medical standards at a facility for future patients.