Medical malpractice is something that no patient expects to experience, especially during an elective nonemergency surgery such as plastic surgery. Unfortunately, surgeons, doctors and other health care providers can make careless mistakes. If you suffer medical malpractice during any type of plastic surgery in Missouri, you may have grounds to file a lawsuit for justice and financial compensation.
Common Examples of Medical Malpractice During Plastic Surgery
The legal definition of medical malpractice is a health care provider failing to use an appropriate level of care while treating a patient, resulting in harm to that patient. Medical malpractice can take place during emergency surgeries, scheduled medical procedures and plastic surgeries. Common examples of plastic surgery are rhinoplasty (nose job), breast augmentation, liposuction, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), facelift, neck lift and eyelid surgery. If a health care provider falls short of the accepted standards of care during plastic surgery, it is medical malpractice.
Medical malpractice can take many forms, including:
- Failing to get the patient’s full medical history
- Recommending the improper procedure or medication
- Lack of a patient’s informed consent
- Poor preoperative patient preparation
- A non-plastic surgeon performing cosmetic surgery
- Wrong-site, wrong-patient or wrong-procedure errors
- Errors during surgery
- Incorrect Botox injections
- Anesthesia errors
- Medical device malfunctions
- Lack of follow-up care
- Postoperative infections
- Prescription medication mistakes
All plastic surgeons are required to apply the correct standard of care according to the rules of the medical industry. Any breach of the medical standards of patient care, no matter how minor, could have potentially deadly consequences. Mistakes can come from a hospital using unqualified or untrained doctors and surgeons. Even a competent plastic surgeon, however, can make a mistake that results in significant harm to the patient.
What Injuries Can Be Suffered From Medical Malpractice During Plastic Surgeries?
Medical malpractice during plastic surgery in Missouri can impact not only how the patient looks but his or her overall health and wellbeing. Depending on the nature and severity of the mistake, a patient could suffer life-changing consequences, such as:
- Excessive scarring
- Physical disfigurement
- Drooping at the surgical site
- Lack of the desired result
- Skin pigmentation or discoloration
- Infections or pneumonia
- Hemorrhaging or excessive bleeding
- Brain damage from anesthesia mistakes
- Nerve damage or paralysis
- Wrongful death
When medical malpractice interferes with plastic surgery and causes harm, the affected victim may have the right to file a lawsuit against one or more parties. A medical malpractice suit can hold a negligent defendant accountable and pay the victim for economic and noneconomic losses.
What Are Your Rights as an Injured Patient?
If you or a loved one has injuries from alleged medical malpractice during cosmetic or plastic surgery, begin the claims process by contacting a medical malpractice attorney in Kansas City. An attorney can thoroughly investigate your case and search for evidence of medical malpractice, such as eyewitness statements, photographs and medical expert testimony. Then, your attorney can build a compelling case and file the required paperwork on your behalf to initiate a lawsuit.
You may be able to hold one or more parties financially responsible for plastic surgery medical malpractice if there is proof of the following four elements:
- The doctor, hospital or another defendant owed you a duty to exercise reasonable care.
- The defendant breached or violated the standards of care through an act of negligence or recklessness.
- The defendant’s breach of duty caused the injuries or losses you are claiming.
- You suffered compensable damages, such as emotional distress or disfigurement, because of the malpractice.
A medical malpractice attorney can guide you through the claims process from start to finish, answering your legal questions and preserving your rights along the way. A successful lawsuit could result in financial compensation for your related medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. Learn more about a medical malpractice claim for plastic surgery by contacting Dickerson Oxton, LLC.