Arthroscopy is a minimally-invasive surgical procedure where the surgeons make small cuts or incisions to insert a camera for treating and diagnosing joint problems. A big video screen is used to magnify the image and get a better clarity of the problems. It is a safe procedure with a high recovery rate. However, like any other surgical method, arthroscopy malpractices do take place. However, if it is performed by experienced surgeons with care and caution, then it can give an excellent outcome.
Arthroscopic surgeries are used for diagnosing various kinds of joint problems like- shoulder, knee, elbow, ankle, and others. If you face any complications due to arthroscopic malpractices, the best option is to seek professional help from an attorney who in turn will seek an orthopedic expert witness for the matter. The combined expertise and role of these professionals will ensure that you get maximum compensational relief for the injuries caused.
Why is arthroscopy recommended?
When the non-surgical treatments like medicines, injections, physical therapies do not respond, the surgeon usually recommends an arthroscopic surgery. It is an ideal solution for treating various joint problems and is far better than open surgeries. Patients need not stay at hospital overnight and the procedure gets completed within few hours.
Complications of arthroscopic surgery:
Arthroscopy surgery usually starts with anesthesia to offer a painless treatment. However, the surgeon will be held responsible if they fail to evaluate the medical condition of the patient. Certain patients have allergic reactions to anesthesia and this might cause complications. Hence, the surgeons need to evaluate the previous medical history and other medical condition of the patient prior to surgery. Also, they should seek verbal and written consent from the patient to prevent malpractice litigations against them.
However, due to negligence, there can be several complications that might take place. It has been listed below.
- Infection
- Pain and swelling
- Nerve injury
- Anesthetic injuries
- Direct injuries
- Blood clotting
- Bleeding
So if you believe that you’ve been a victim of arthroscopy malpractice, you should immediately exercise your compensational rights. To do this, you need to seek retain a professional attorney. These lawyers in turn retain an orthopedic expert witness to get medico-legal opinion of the case. They are called upon to determine who was at fault and most importantly, they need to rule out that there’s no contributory negligence. Apart from this, they are called upon to perform a comprehensive role which has been discussed below:
- Preparing reports based on the case facts. These reports are unbiased and neutral.
- Offers assistance in technical matters of the case on which the court needs guidance.
- Provides testimony and deposition
- Performs Independent medical examination
- Evaluates the severity of the injury
- Calculated economic and non-economic damages based on the injuries.
As it is quite evident, retaining an expert witness for a malpractice case is an absolute necessity because their testimonies and evidence will play an integral role in the outcome of the case.
