When is an Amputation Due to Medical Malpractice
There are many devastating injuries that a person can suffer from improper medical care, such as organ damage, physical disfigurement, blood clots, infections, etc. There is one devastating injury that can occur that is perhaps one of the most traumatic injuries from improper medical care. Amputation is an incredibly devastating injury that can result from a variety of reasons. It is important to note that amputation is sometimes necessary and unavoidable. But other times it is due to medical malpractice. However, when a person suffers from an amputation that could have been avoided, this is considered pure negligence. This irreversible mistake will affect the individual for the rest of their lives.
What is Amputation?
Amputation refers to the removal of a limb (i.e. arm, leg, hand, toe, finger) or other body part. There are many reasons that an amputation may occur, such as injury, illness or trauma. Sometimes, amputations can be lifesaving, but there are times when they could be avoided entirely.
Patient Suffering Due to an Amputation
Amputations are life altering, affecting generally every aspect of the person’s life. Amputations affect an individual’s ability to walk, drive, interact with family, perform their job, and perform their activities of daily living. People with amputations often need assistive devices for their day to day lives (i.e. prosthetics) and may need accommodations to allow them to drive or perform their jobs. Some people may be unable to perform their jobs due to their amputation. Patients who experienced an amputation may suffer from wound healing issues as well as pain due to phantom limb sensation. With this being a very traumatic, life altering event, they may experience great depression and anxiety.
Amputations Due to Medical Malpractice
As mentioned above, there are many amputations that occur out of necessity and are not due to medical malpractice. However, there are instances in which the limb could have been saved but couldn’t be due to an error in judgement or another error. Examples of causes of amputations due to medical malpractice include the following:
- Failure to treat sepsis or other infection leading to loss of a limb
- Surgical error, leading to required amputation
- Failure to diagnose and treat compartment syndrome in a timely manner
- Delay in triaging and treating a patient who has been in an accident, leading to the inability to preserve the body part
- Removal of the wrong body part, leading to a healthy limb or other body part being removed instead of the diseased body part
- Improper use of a tourniquet
- Hospital acquired infections, leading to need for amputation
- Damage to tissue or blood vessel during a procedure, leading to the need for amputation
These are just some of the errors that occur that can lead to unnecessary amputation. As mentioned above, amputations are life-changing and devastating. While an unnecessary amputation may be performed not due to anyone’s wish to cause harm, the harm is still done. This is why people who experience amputations that they suspect were unnecessary should seek legal council to help determine if their amputation could have been prevented.
Ask Our Unnecessary Amputation Lawyer for Help
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form. We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.
Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles, St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.
We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.