Most residents of Arizona who require surgery are probably aware that complications are always a risk that accompanies any medical procedure. However, relatively few people who go under the knife expect to have the knife or other surgical devices remain in their bodies. 

Surgical devices being embedded in the body after an operation may happen more than people may realize. In fact, according to one study published in 2019, the orthopedic surgery co-authors stated, “Poor reporting of patient safety incidents means that there may be as many as 1500 incidents a year of poor quality surgical instruments causing harm.”

It’s not necessarily gross negligence on the part of a surgeon, who, for example, forgets to remove a whole surgical implement from the patient, although medical gross negligence incidents do occur every year in Arizona. 

Most often, harm caused by surgical devices is the result of a design flaw in the surgical instrument itself. 

“The quality of surgical instruments is heavily relied upon by surgeons to perform procedures to the highest standard,” the study co-authors stated in their peer-reviewed research article.

However, as the statistics reveal, surgical instruments sometimes break during an operation. And when that occurs, the consequences can be devastating to the patient and to the patient’s family. 

In 2008, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published an alert in 2008 stating that nearly 1000 incidents of retained pieces of broken instruments, otherwise known as unretrieved device fragments or UDFs occurred each year. 

Injuries from UDFs vary from mild reactions and infections to disability and even death. The study’s co-authors also note that the FDA alert also said that with increasing use of magnetic imaging modalities such as MRIs, there may be a corresponding increase in the number of unrecognized foreign bodies from surgical devices that may cause tissue trauma or injury.

What Should Arizona Residents Do If They’ve Become Harmed By Surgery?

If you’ve been injured by a faulty surgical device that has been embedded in your body, you need the support of an expert medical malpractice attorney. 

The best resource to find a medical malpractice lawyer in Arizona is Attorney at Law.

At AAL, our network of attorneys and law firms can match you with a local attorney who has the experience and resources necessary to pursue your malpractice case to its fullest extent. 

Our partners focus on the client experience and treat your case with the urgency it needs. Additionally, our partners work on contingency for all personal injury cases. That means if you don’t win, you don’t pay.

Don’t wait. Contact AAL today for a free, no-obligation consultation and begin your journey to better health.