Hospital negligence can result in serious injuries and even deaths. If you have been injured as the result of negligence while you were a patient in a hospital, or if a loved one died due to hospital negligence, you may be able to file a claim and collect compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, medical expenses and other losses. Some of the most common forms of hospital negligence include wrong-site surgeries, medication errors, surgical errors, development of hospital-acquired infections, improper use of anesthesia, improper treatment of a diagnosed medical condition, failure to monitor or stabilize a patient, or improper use of a medical device.

Wrong-site surgeries are when a physician removes the wrong limb during an amputation or removes the wrong organ during a surgical procedure. For example, removing the left kidney when it is the right kidney that was diseased would be an example of a wrong-site surgery. Medication errors can happen because of errors at the hospital pharmacy or because of errors at the patient care level. Medication errors can involve giving the incorrect medication to a patient or giving too much or too little of the correct medication. Surgical errors include the improper use of medical instruments, failure to remove sponges and other supplies from a surgical site, and failure to use proper surgical techniques on a patient.

While not all infections are due to hospital negligence, hospital-acquired infections can be very severe. In someone whose immunity is compromised by illness or weakened due to recent surgery, these infections can quickly become life-threatening. Hospital negligence can contribute to the development of infections if care providers failed to follow proper infection control procedures or did not respond quickly to signs of a developing infection. Patients in intensive care units are particularly at risk for these infections because they are often on ventilators. Ventilators bypass normal breathing mechanisms that work to keep out infection, so it is easier for bacteria to enter these patients.

Improper use of anesthesia can include using too much anesthesia, not giving enough anesthesia, using the wrong anesthetic drugs, or making an error in administering epidural anesthesia. These errors can lead to serious effects on a patient. Too much anesthesia can cause a patient to become confused or disoriented and may even lead to death. Not enough anesthesia can cause a patient to feel the pain of medical procedures. Epidural errors can lead to serious consequences such as paralysis or painful bruising of the spine.

Hospital negligence cases often come down to the documentation available in the form of medical records and the statements of witnesses to the negligence. As a result, it's important to have an attorney who is experienced in handling hospital negligence claims and can work to gather evidence and interview nurses, technicians, and other witnesses.

If you believe that you or a loved one has been a victim of hospital negligence call Gaines, Gruner, Ponzini & Novick, LLP at 914-288-9595.