Each year, hundreds of people in Texas have surgeries to treat a variety of health issues. While the thought of having surgery can seem frightful, modern medicine has come a long way. However, no surgery is completely risk-free. The best way to reduce worry is to understand the risks that are involved.
Sedation complications
General anesthesia is usually safe for most patients. After first waking up, most people may experience complications due to anesthesia such as:
- Grogginess
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Hoarseness
Although rare, serious complications due to sedation can occur. Symptoms might include a heart attack, a stroke, or brain damage.
Blood clots
After surgery, your risk of developing blood clots may increase. This complication can happen whenever your body is already working hard to increase blood clotting to try to stop the bleeding from surgery. To prevent blood clots from developing, many patients are required to get up and move around as soon as possible after surgery.
Surgical errors
Unfortunately, surgical errors occur all too often. A surgical error involves any preventable mistake that happens during surgery. These medical errors are always unexpected and could include mistakes such as:
- Operating on the wrong site
- Performing the wrong procedure
- Operating on the wrong patient
Hemorrhages
If a person loses too much blood during an operation, a hemorrhage can occur. The treatment for hemorrhages include blood transfusions, IV fluids or additional operations to stop the bleeding.
Surgery risks can’t always be avoided. When complications arise or medical errors happen, a patient can be left dealing with many financial and physical repercussions in the aftermath. If you’ve suffered a complication after surgery, consider speaking to an experienced attorney.
