The medical advances made in the past 30, 20, and even 10 years are astounding. A notable example is the availability of artificial implants that perform the functions of organic body parts. Unfortunately, complications often arise from this complicated medical undertaking. A startling fact about artificial limbs is that 25 percent of the time, some infection occurs due to implantation of the artificial limb.
Medical professionals go through many years of education and training to deliver groundbreaking treatments and solutions to patients. However, these professionals are still human and occasionally make errors. As the amount of artificial implants continues to increase in the U.S., so will the amount of malpractice cases. For example, it is estimated that around four million prosthetic knee and hip replacements will occur annually by 2030. Between one and two percent of these replacements will trigger an infection in the patient sometime during their lifetime.
Do I Have a Case?
Unfortunately, the bar can be quite high for a medical mess up to rise to the level of medical malpractice. The outcome, generally, must include an adverse outcome that affects the patient for the rest of his or her life, such as disability or paralysis. A life-threatening situation or death resulting from a fairly routine medical procedure is often a strong sign that you may have a medical malpractice case on your hands. Florida requires a written opinion penned by a medical expert to even file a malpractice lawsuit.
What Can I Do?
The most important thing you can do is hold on to all records related to the suspected malpractice incident. Promptly request any records you don’t have. Having documents will help settle any discrepancies that arise during the process. If a loved one passed away due to suspected negligence from a medical professional, you should strongly consider ordering an independent autopsy to investigate the cause of death and circumstances that lead up to it. The more resources you gather, the better chance your case has in the courts.
Conclusion
Whenever someone has an artificial limb or implant installed, everyone on every medical team dealing with the patient should be attuned to any signs of infection during treatment and rehabilitation. The overwhelming majority of the time, medical professionals live up to the standard required for these types of patients. Complications do arise from time to time, though, and when it happens to you or a loved one, it’s personal.
Infections arising from implantation of artificial body parts are not uncommon and, if they remain untreated, can cause unnecessary pain and suffering – not to mention the enormous costs associated with treating the malady. If you are looking for an skilled personal injury attorney who will treat you like family and won’t back down from a challenge, please reach out to me today to get started with a consultation.
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