Medical Mistakes that Lead to Amputation (Loss of Limb)
Did you know that about 30,000 cases of traumatic amputations occur in the US annually? This results in an estimated 2 million individuals living with an amputated limb.
An amputation surgery dramatically impacts a person’s life, whether to remove a limb or any other severely affected part. The situation worsens if the amputation or loss of a limb results from medical malpractice or negligence.
Shapiro Law Group is a dedicated medical malpractice law firm with the best medical malpractice lawyers in Florida that help people get the justice they deserve if they undergo medical malpractice.
Read on to understand some medical mistakes that can lead to amputation.
What is an Amputation (Loss of Limb)?
Amputation is a radical life-changing surgery involving removing part or all of a limb. It is usually the leg, arm, hand, foot, finger, or toe.
Some reasons that make amputation the only possible solution are poor circulation due to restricted arteries. Other possible grounds for injury amputation in the US include trauma from an injury and uncontrolled diabetes.
Indications for Amputation
Indications for amputation may vary. In the US, the most common indicators include the following:
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Severe trauma
- Infections
- Severe surgical site infection
- Diabetic foot gangrene
- TBS gangrene and others
While these cases are scarce, they still occur, which may call for lawyers for medical mistakes.
If there is a medical malpractice leg amputation, it often involves an infection or sometimes a condition causing the cells in the leg to decay. The compartment syndrome malpractice case is another typical pattern of malpractice.
Amputation Surgery
Amputation surgery involves many things; the first and most important is getting the diagnosis right. Amputation of the wrong limb has severe consequences, which is why you will need the help of an amputation injury lawyer. But what happens before, during, and after amputation surgery?
Before
The doctor has to provide you with all the necessary information to prepare for the amputation surgery. You may need to go without food for at least six hours prior. Before the surgery kicks off, you will receive general anesthesia to make you sleep during the procedure.
During the Surgery
During the surgery, the doctor will remove all the damaged tissue. While doing so, the team will try to keep as much healthy tissue intact as possible. One of their primary concerns is to set you up for the best function afterward.
- Procedures during the surgery include:
- Removal of the damaged or crushed bone
- Smoothing any uneven bones
- Sealing the blood vessels to prevent any bleeding
- Shaping the muscles so that the end of the limb can fit well with a prosthetic if you want to get one
- They place a strike dressing over your wound
The surgeon can staple or stitch the stump closed immediately, or in some cases, they wait a few days for the wound to drain.
After the Surgery
After the amputation surgery, you will need to stay in the hospital, depending on how fast you heal. While at the hospital, the surgical team will always keep tabs on your healing progress.
You may use painkillers to relieve the pain or antibiotics to prevent any possible infections. After a few days of surgery, you will start working with a physical therapist.
Medical Mistakes Resulting in Amputation
Not all amputations happen because of tragic and fatal accidents. It could also be due to medical mistakes by the health professionals. There are primarily two categories of medical errors that can lead to amputation:
Failed Diagnosis
Diagnostic errors occur when the responsible doctors fail to diagnose or misdiagnose a condition and take too long to make a diagnosis. The key to a failed diagnosis has to be negligence.
This means the responsible doctor has the means to make the correct diagnosis under the same circumstances.
Surgical Errors
A surgical error takes more than mistakes the surgeon makes during the surgery or botched surgeries. Instead, a surgical error is any neglected medical care related to a surgical procedure and the postoperative recovery.
Most medical malpractice leg amputation involves treatment errors in post-surgery recovery time. A common occurrence is a failure to diagnose, monitor, and manage a postoperative infection or any other complication.
How We Can Help You
Medical practitioners are one of the most trusted individuals because they deal with human life. It is unthinkable that one could make such an error that results in amputation.
Nonetheless, knowing that you can get help under Florida law is a relief.
Attorneys at Shapiro Law Group will help you make a claim and get compensation for medical mistakes that result in amputation. Contact us and let our best attorney for medical errors take over your case.
