If you believe that you or a loved one has fallen victim to malpractice involving an organ transplant error, it may be time to consult an injury lawyer. Surgeries are bound to affect your life even when done properly, but an improperly-performed organ transplant can cause serious complications or even death. Read on to learn what qualifies as malpractice so that you can recognize the signs of a transplant error.
What Is an Organ Transplant Error?
Organ transplants can be wonderful, life-saving procedures, but even under the best of circumstances they are complex. From the outset, they carry plenty of obstacles due to the difficulty of finding a suitable donor match, and they require a skilled team of medical professionals.
Bad organ matches, poor facility conditions, and surgical errors all can cause complications, whether sickness (including infections, or contracting blood-borne diseases such as HIV) or death due to delayed or improper procedure. Regardless of the complications inherent in this process, patients should not have to pay for a medical professional’s mistake.
Surgery is a complicated process that, even under the best conditions, often poses a high risk to the patients, so most hospitals want to ensure their surgeons are highly qualified and responsible medical professionals. However, even experienced surgeons can make preventable errors that permanently injure or even kill their patients:
- Insufficient preoperative planning
- Improper work process
- Poor communication between hospital staff
- Fatigue
- Negligence or incompetence
- Operating under the influence of drugs or alcohol
In one case, a surgeon in the UK failed to disclose spilling stomach contents while removing organs from the donor, resulting in the death of one organ recipient and two other ill patients. Medical errors that result from negligence, reckless, or outright egregious failures to perform a doctor’s duties, all can qualify as malpractice. It is difficult to be sure, so when you believe you have been the victim of such negligence, it’s time to consult an experienced medical malpractice lawyer.
Signs of Organ Transplant Error
If you have experienced complications due to organ transplant error, it’s not too late to seek the justice and compensation you deserve. Specific signs indicative of organ transplant error include:
- Pain at the site of the transplant
- General illness or poor temper
- Flu-like symptoms, including fever
- Swelling
- Weight change
- Shift in heart rate
With organ transplants, as opposed to other complicated surgeries, it’s entirely possible that issues will arise well after the initial surgery. If you or a loved one are experiencing any of these signs, first seek medical attention immediately. Once a medical professional determines that you are not in immediate danger, it might be time to reach out to an injury lawyer for help determining if your case involves malpractice.
How Are Transplant Error Malpractice Cases Resolved?
The legal and medical team at JJS understands catastrophic medical malpractice cases are complex, saddling you with unneeded stress on top of your injuries. The statute of limitations—the period of time in which you can file a lawsuit—for a malpractice case can be short. Even if you are unsure whether you want to pursue a malpractice lawsuit, it’s important to reach out for a consultation as soon as possible so you can get all the facts you need to make your decision.
At Janet, Janet & Suggs, LLC, we represent clients in the most serious cases and leave no stone unturned while working to recover life-changing compensation, and we have done so for over 40 years.
If your case is eligible for legal liability, your malpractice lawyers will work to get you justice, whether that is a settlement or a judgment in your favor. The final amounts vary, taking into account these factors:
- Doctor and hospital bills—past, current, and future
- Lost income—past, current, and future
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Quality of life concerns
Janet, Janet & Suggs Will Fight for Your Rights
Janet, Janet & Suggs has over 40 years of experience with medical malpractice lawsuits. We provide expert witnesses and attorneys to support clients through the complex process of a surgical malpractice case.
In a case against a government-employed healthcare provider, JJS reached a settlement of $13 million after poor postoperative care led to brain damage and cerebral palsy. Though organ transplant errors stem from malpractice within the actual operation, such a case would exist in similar ground. Our nationally recognized track record of successful verdicts demonstrates our commitment to working for justice and fair compensation. We fight for victims of transplant medical malpractice, and there are no fees unless your case is won. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss your case and learn about your rights.
Reviewed by:
William R. “Topper” Cramer, RN, MBA, MS, CCRN, CFRN, EMT-P
Legal Nurse Consultant | Nurse Paralegal
Topper has been involved in emergency, transport, and critical care medicine since 1978 when he became an EMT in high school. A United States Air Force veteran, he remains active as a pre-hospital RN/paramedic, certified flight nurse, and critical care nurse. In addition to his professional role as a nurse consultant/nurse paralegal, he is the Chief of Operations at Walkersville Volunteer Rescue in Frederick County, Maryland. READ FULL BIO