Surgical errors
When an operation goes wrong, the chart shows how
Every operation carries known risks, and a poor result alone isn’t a mistake. We look for the difference: something done, or left undone, that careful surgical teams don’t do.
Operating-room records are long and written in shorthand. We put them in order and have a surgeon in the same field read them, so you hear whether the problem was the risk you accepted or something else.
What we check in the record
The right patient, site and procedure
Instrument and sponge counts before closing
Whether consent covered what was done
Anesthesia monitoring from start to wake-up
How quickly the team noticed and responded afterward
Situations people bring us
Not a complete list. If it happened in or around an operation, tell us.
Wrong site or wrong procedure
The operation was on the wrong side, the wrong organ, or not the one you agreed to.
Something left behind
A sponge or instrument found in the body after the operation.
Injury to a nearby organ, nerve or vessel
Damage during the procedure that no consent form described.
An anesthesia mistake
Too much, too little, or too little watching.
An infection after lapses
A wound or implant infection that followed missed sterile steps.
A complication nobody acted on
Warning signs in the hours after surgery that went unanswered.
Surgery questions
Is a complication the same as a mistake?
No. Some complications happen even when everyone does everything right. The question is whether a careful surgeon would have avoided this one, and the records usually show.
I signed a consent form. Does that end it?
Consent covers the known risks of a procedure. It doesn’t cover being operated on wrongly or carelessly, and it doesn’t waive your right to have the care reviewed.
When should I call?
As soon as you can. Deadlines are short and strict, they differ by state, and records are easier to gather while they’re fresh.
Had an operation that went wrong?
Tell us what happened and when. We’ll tell you if the records are worth a physician’s read.
We review your case at no charge. If we take it, our fee is a share of any recovery and nothing if there is none. Case costs, such as records and expert reviews, are explained in writing before you sign, and the agreement says whether you owe them if there is no recovery.