Texas Medical Malpractice Attorney: Hospital-Acquired Infections

By Rasansky | McKenzie Law

This month, we covered the story of John Harrison, a Mission man who filed a Texas medical malpractice lawsuit against Methodist Hospital and a surgical instrument company after his shoulder became infected after a simple surgery. He won the suit against the Houston hospital, but has endured years of corrective surgeries and pain.
Just how big of a problem are infections after surgery, and how can you know whether or not your post-operation infection is a sign of a medical error? Even medical safety experts are not sure how far-reaching the issue is.
Here are just a few examples of how a preventable infection can occur during a surgery:

• The hospital where the surgery takes place does not properly clean its surgical tools.
• The hospital cleans surgical tools that are not meant for re-use.
• The surgeon does not properly scrub before the operation.
• The manufacturer of the surgical tool does not provide the proper cleaning instructions with its surgical tools.
• There is a design flaw in the surgical tool that prevents it from being properly cleaned.
• There is a design flaw in the machine used to clean the surgical tools.

Keeping surgical tools clean in recent years has been increasingly difficult – modern medicine and minimally invasive surgeries means high-tech tools in the operating room that can be extremely difficult to clean effectively. At the same time, large hospitals are cleaning up to 40,000 surgical instruments each day – each of which must go through a specific process that everyone agrees is far from perfect. Those in charge of the process face low wages, poor conditions, and a demanding job.
Dirty surgical instruments can lead to life-threatening infections, hepatitis infections, HIV infections, and other potentially fatal complications.
Do you believe that you have suffered a harmful infection due to a dirty surgical instrument? Speak to a Texas medical malpractice attorney today about your case. The medical error lawyers at Rasansky | McKenzie Law can help you understand your case, as well as your best course of action. Call today to schedule a private, no-obligation consultation.

About the Author

Anyone can hire a lawyer, but if you want to give yourself the best possible chance at success, call the experienced attorneys at Rasansky | McKenzie. You only get one chance to bring your case before a court. Let them put their expertise to work for you.