When Medical Malpractice Results in Unnecessary or Improper Amputations
An amputation is perhaps one of the most traumatizing types of personal injuries that a person could sustain. Amputations often cause significant and life-altering physical limitations, affecting every area of a person’s life, including their career, daily activities, interactions with family and friends, and the overall ability to function independently. While many physical alterations come from an amputation, significant psychological injuries can come from amputation, including grief, pain, anxiety, alternation in self-esteem, and phantom limb sensation. While amputations are sometimes necessary, there are times when an amputation could have been completely avoided through the proper exercise of care that physicians are supposed to use.
But that does not always happen. Unfortunately, some healthcare providers fail to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances in treating patients. This can lead to unnecessary amputations, or a failure to diagnose that can allow infections to fester and result in amputations that could have been avoided. If you or a loved one were seriously injured by a healthcare provider’s mistakes resulting in the need for an amputation, call our amputation medical malpractice lawyers located here at Medical Malpractice Universe to learn what your rights may be under the law.
Why Do Unnecessary Amputations Occur?
There are many reasons for unnecessary amputations, with most of them being due to preventable medical errors and are considered to be medical malpractice. Some of the most common causes of unnecessary amputations include the following:
- Waiting too long to perform a limb-sparing surgery
- Performing an amputation that does not need to occur (i.e., instead of performing another treatment to potentially save the limb)
- Hospital acquired infections
- Performing the wrong surgery on a patient
- Delay in treating an infection leading to sepsis
- Failure to treat a limb infection leading to the need for limb removal
- Improper use of a tourniquet
- Improper positioning during a surgery
- Blood vessel damage in the arm or leg during a procedure
- Making an error when trying to repair a damaged limb leading to the need for amputation
- Improper triaging of a patient leading to the need for amputation due to a delay in treatment
- Delay in treating a crush injury
- Need for amputation as a result of a surgical error
- Untreated or delay in treating compartment syndrome
- Many other causes of unnecessary amputations due to medical malpractice.
What Complications Can Occur After an Amputation?
- Impaired wound healing
- Joint contractures
- Blood clots
- Phantom limb sensation/pain
- Infection
- Disability
Effects of Amputation on a Person’s Day to Day Life
Amputation affects just about every aspect of a person’s life. Victims of unnecessary amputations must learn to live with this impairment to function as independently as possible. Ways in which a victim of unnecessary amputation is affected include the following:
- May need to learn to cope with limb pain
- May need intensive physical therapy and rehabilitation
- May need to learn how to ambulate independently with an assistive device (i.e. walker, crutches wheelchair) or a prosthetic device
- Will likely need to learn how to cope emotionally with this significant life change
- Will need to learn to cope with changes in family life due to their amputation
- May need to have a career change due to their amputation
- Need for wound care and continued care of the skin at the site of the amputation to prevent skin breakdown
What Should I Do if I suspect I am a Victim of an Unnecessary Amputation?
If you suspect that you are the victim of an unnecessary amputation, your mind may not immediately go to seeking legal counsel. You, first and foremost, are trying to heal from this major surgery and learn to regain independence. However, amputation can affect you financially, emotionally, and physically.
There will never be a cure for your amputation, and you will have to live with this disability for the rest of your life. Filing a medical malpractice claim may be in your best interest if you are the victim of an unnecessary amputation so you can be compensated monetarily for your injuries. You will have lifelong medical expenses for prosthetic devices, medical bills, a possible change in career, home and vehicle modifications, assistive device needs, and many other specialized needs and costs resulting from the unnecessary amputation.
You should never have to pay a dime for medical treatment or any other specialized need that you now require due to your unnecessary amputation. An experienced amputation medical malpractice lawyer can review your case and work with expert witnesses to determine if your amputation could have been prevented. Additionally, they will be able to determine what needs you likely will have going forward and the cost of those needs so you can be financially compensated.
Need Help After an Unnecessary Amputation? Speak With One of Our Lawyers
Unnecessary amputations can be devastating and often result in catastrophic harm to a victim and an entire family. If you or a loved one suffered from an unnecessary amputation, learn what your rights to compensation may be by speaking with an experienced amputation medical malpractice lawyer located here at Medical Malpractice Universe. All consultations are free, and there is no obligation to sign up.