Bruce G. Fagel Medical Malpractice Law Blog on Lawyers.com

Plastic surgery malpractice and medical malpractice involving other types of elective surgical procedures is a frightening issue that causes thousands of Americans to be injured or die each year.  Elective plastic surgery including breast augmentation, lipo suction, face lifts, rhinoplasty (nose jobs), and other types of procedures are being done in doctor’s offices, hospitals, and surgical centers throughout the country.  When these procedures are done in a hospital, generally there is a board certified anesthesiologist and access to a staff of emergency personnel should a medical emergency arise.  This may include critical care nurses and emergency physicians.     

When plastic surgeries are performed in doctor’s offices or surgery centers, anesthesia may be given by nurse anesthetists who may not have extensive experience working with anesthesia. With the growing number of plastic surgery procedures occurring in the United States, there is an increase in demand for surgeons and medical personnel.  A certified nurse anesthetist may provide anesthesia under supervision by a surgeon, who often has less knowledge about anesthesia than the anesthetist.  If an anesthesia related problem occurs, the surgeon may not be able to properly handle the situation.  This is where many medical malpractice lawsuits involving plastic surgery arise.  In cases like these, the surgery may go successfully but the patient ends up seriously injured or dies from anesthesia problems.  It is therefore important for patients to understand the risks with elective surgeries.  In surgical centers and doctor’s offices, if a major emergency occurs, the patient may be kept waiting an inordinate amount of time until an ambulance can arrive and transport the patient to the hospital.  During this time, the patient’s medical condition may dramatically deteriorate, even resulting in death.

Anesthesia errors can happen during plastic surgery procedures because of many reasons including the medical personnel not properly communicating with each other, mistakes made by inexperienced personnel, or the medical personnel not doing a thorough job with the examination of the patient’s medical records including allergies and medication sensitivities

Because the patient is usually unconscious during an operation, he or she is generally the last person to find out if medical negligence occurred.  Most often, medical errors can be corrected so that there are no permanent injuries; however, sometimes medical negligence, including post operation anesthesia errors do result in severe injuries or death.

It’s also important to note even though a patient in a hospital setting is often in a safer environment equipped with a greater medical staff and resources than would be found in a doctor’s office or surgical center, medical malpractice still happens sometimes.  Other injuries from plastic surgery can turn up after the procedure including excessive bleeding and infections which if not taken care of promptly, can lead to additional injuries.

Visit plastic surgery malpractice video  to view a video about plastic surgery dangers.

If you or a family member has been seriously injured or died from medical negligence during an elective surgery, call The Law Offices of Dr. Bruce G. Fagel & Associates right away at (800) 541-9376.  The consultation is free and there is never a fee unless Dr. Fagel wins your case. 

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