Imagine going to the hospital for a procedure, such as having your appendix removed to then wake up and find out you received the wrong surgery. The scene sounds like something out of a horror movie that takes place in some deranged hospital, yet wrong surgical procedures happen more often than you think.

From 1985 to 2004, wrong surgical procedures were more common, occurring once every 113,000 operations. The Join Commission developed a Universal Protocol in 2004 to help correct issues with wrong surgical site errors, wrong person errors, and wrong procedure errors. Despite efforts, incorrect surgeries can and do still occur. If you are the victim of an incorrect procedure, you need to know what to do.

Seek Legal Support

Your first step toward addressing an incorrect surgical procedure is to get in touch with a qualified medical malpractice attorney. The legal system allows you to seek compensation if medical professionals make mistakes when they oversee caring for your health.

In many situations, incorrect surgeries are the result of incompetence, rushing to get the procedure done, not paying attention, and other issues that would entail holding medical professionals responsible. When you enter a hospital or surgical facility, you expect to receive the utmost care.

Therefore, it is unfortunate to wake up and find out that your care was subpar at best. A professional attorney can help you gather all the paperwork you need to file a medical malpractice claim against the doctor or facility that mistakenly performed a surgical error.

Request Your Medical Records

To assist your lawyer in filing a medical malpractice suit, make sure you request all your medical documentation prior to, during, and after your surgery. The lawyer will need to review the documents to determine the cause of the error to see who is at fault. You can also fill out a form giving your lawyer permission to request any files as needed.

Do Not Represent Yourself

Do not make the mistake of thinking that a medical malpractice issue is an easy win that will not require the help of an attorney. Doctors and facilities are not strangers to complaints issued by patients, which is why they are often backed by a decent legal team of their own.

Fending for yourself can backfire and cause you to lose your medical malpractice case. A professional attorney, on the other hand, knows how to handle an opposing legal team and can help you secure the win you deserve.