Were you properly informed you of all surgical risks?

It is standard medical procedure for a physician to explain all risks and benefits of any proposed surgery. If you were unable to be told these conditions, then a family member or a medical guardian should be notified of such possible risks and benefits, such as the risks of being put to sleep and any reactions you may have to medications.

When faced with a surgical procedure, people usually focus on what needs to be done post-operatively. The problem with this is that people also need to focus on proper preoperative care as well. What is or is not done before surgery can have an impact on the outcome of the surgical intervention. This is especially true with elective procedures such as plastic surgery, or dental work because many times, these type of procedures, needs preoperative care. With many plastic surgery procedures and dental work like a tooth extraction, a set amount of preoperative antibiotics must be taken to prevent infection after the surgery. Unfortunately, at times, the patient is not notified of this and can develop a horrific infection, which can lead to scarring and disfigurement or worse.

When told that surgical intervention is warranted, appropriate preoperative care and medical testing can help pinpoint each patient’s specific risks during surgery. For example, appropriate cardiovascular and pulmonary evaluation should be performed to evaluate the patient’s risk of possible problems while in surgery. If your primary care physician does not follow through with this, it might be time to look for another primary physician.

Evaluating a patient’s risk to undergo anesthesia is also an important factor in a preoperative evaluation. This would include noting any adverse reactions to taking anesthesia previously. If there was a reaction, what was it? Was it mild or was it severe? Did you have difficulty waking up from anesthesia? These are very important questions that should be addressed before any surgery. Having poor preoperative care can result in a devastating post-operative experience.

Your family history is also very important when contemplating an elective surgical procedure or a mandatory surgical procedure. Your family’s response has an impact on your potential outcome from your surgery.

Not having adequate preoperative care can be very detrimental or life threatening. Based on the type of surgical procedure, there are specific types of testing that needs to be performed to ensure smooth sailing before, during and after surgery.

There are many things a patient can look for in regards to whether their preoperative treatment is poor or not. See below:

• Rapid preparation without adequate testing.
• Inadequate anesthesia testing.
• Inappropriate information on medication cessation.
• Failure to obtain appropriate consent forms.
• Failure to thoroughly explain possible risks and outcomes.

What you need to know before surgery

If you are facing a surgical procedure, do your homework and make sure you know all of the facts before you go under the knife. You should ask questions and know what is best for you. If you feel proper precautions were not followed, you may have a case for a medical malpractice lawsuit. If you feel your physician did not properly explain all of the risks and benefits of a proposed surgical procedure you should contact an attorney to find out what your options are.