Surgical operations on the wrong part of the body usually grab headlines, but this isn't the only form of surgical negligence that may lead to medical malpractice. Here are other forms of negligence that may be credible reasons for medical malpractice:
Inadequate Treatment
Inadequate treatment is where the objectives of the surgery aren't met due to the surgical team's negligence. This usually happens in cases where diseased parts of the body have to be removed. For example, if part of an organ was to be removed due to cancer, the surgical team's negligence may result in some cancerous tissue remaining in your body. Another example is if your limb is to be amputated, but the surgical team ends up cutting the limb below the actual area that was to be cut.
Using Non-sterile Equipment
One of the risks of surgery is that it opens up your body and exposes you to different sources of infections. This is why the surgical team is expected to scrub themselves clean and use sterile equipment throughout the operation. Therefore, you have a valid medical malpractice case if you are infected during the operation and you manage to trace the infection back to non-sterile equipment used in the surgery.
Failure to Diagnose and Treat Postoperative Infections
Since you are susceptible to various infections following your surgery, your surgical team is supposed to watch out for and treat any post-surgical infections. They need to monitor you to see if there are any complications, watch out for signs of infections, and determine if you are recovering on schedule. You can claim medical malpractice if this doesn't happen and you develop an infection that festers for long without diagnosis or treatment.
Damaged Organ
Lastly, you may also have a valid medical malpractice claim if the surgical team damaged a healthy organ during the operation. This may happen, for example, if a drunken surgeon nicks a delicate organ that wasn't even supposed to be operated on in the first place. The complications of such a mistake can be life-threatening if the organ is sensitive or if the mistake is not realized soon enough.
As you can see, many things (aside from operations on wrong body parts) can lead to medical malpractice after surgery. What matters is that a mistake occurred due to a medical professional's negligence, and the mistake caused you injury. A medical malpractice lawyer can help you prove your case.
For more information about malpractice and what you can do against it, talk with a lawyer or visit websites like http://www.snyderwenner.com.