I got nerve damage after a back fusion surgery. Is this medical malpractice?

Answer:

Back surgery is a very delicate operation that has inherent risks. As common as back surgeries have become, there are still a lot of things that can go wrong including nerve damage.

Back procedures can alleviate a patient's back problems if performed properly. Some of the most common types of back surgery procedures include the following:

Laminectomy
Foramenotomy
Spinal Fusion
Spinal Disc Replacement
Discectomy

Spinal fusion is a very delicate procedure, and a slip of the knife or other mistakes can have a devastating long-lasting impact on the patient. Injury to the spine may lead to nerve damage.

Nerve Damage

Many surgical back procedures involve manipulation or removal or portions of the spinal cord. These procedures carry the risk of damage to the spinal cord and surrounding parts of the nervous system. Nerve injury can lead to disability and diminish a patient's overall quality of life through pain and immobility.

Medical Malpractice

If a surgeon fails to adhere to the standard of care required in the medical community, he or she is medically negligent if the patient is injured because of this failure. A patient injured due to medical negligence has the right to pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit to recover damages that arise from the injury.

A good attorney is key in pursuing a medical malpractice case. Medical negligence cases can be complicated, slow and very difficult to pursue. However an experienced medical malpractice attorney knows how to advocate to get the best compensation for a patient injured by medical negligence. In your case, your attorney would need to prove that the surgeon was negligent in action or inaction and that resulted in your nerve damage. Talk with an attorney to discuss damages for nerve damage after back fusion surgery.

References:

Nerve Damage after Back Surgery

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