In California, a lot of knee surgeries happen every year with positive outcomes in most cases. However, some patients face complications due to negligence. Medical malpractice takes place when the doctor or the medical professional fails to offer medical care in accordance with the prescribed medical standards. When they deviate from this standard, it results in a patient’s injury. Similarly, arthroscopic surgical malpractices happen due to technical errors. Patients who have sustained injuries can bring a lawsuit claim against the surgeon for causing injury and damage. Patients can claim both economic and non-economic compensation. To understand your legal rights, you have to retain a professional attorney. They’ll appoint an orthopedic expert witness to determine who was at fault or if there was any malpractice case. You’ll learn about the role of expert witnesses in knee arthroscopy malpractice cases.
Knee arthroscopy–
This is a surgical procedure where small incisions are made in your knees to insert a camera and detect the cause of pain. Knee arthroscopy is normally used for diagnosing and treating problems like ligaments, articular damage, and other joint-related problems. Though it is a minimally invasive procedure, there might be complications due to errors in the surgical process.
Surgical errors can take place in any of the stages- before, during, and after surgery. One of the following thing/things can cause damage or injury:
- If the surgeon fails to consider the previous medical history of the patient
- If the surgeon fails to obtain verbal and written approval from the patients
- Surgeons might fail to explain all the pros and cons of the surgery
- Leaving foreign objects inside the incised area
- Failure to keep the patient under observation post-surgery
These are some of the instances when there can be a medical negligence case. If you’ve been a victim of medical negligence, you should immediately get in touch with an attorney.
Role of expert witnesses in knee arthroscopy cases:
Once you get in touch with an attorney, they’ll go through your case and retain an orthopedic expert witness to get medico-legal guidance. The experts will determine if the allegations are true. Just because you didn’t get a favorable outcome doesn’t mean that it is a case of malpractice. The negligence has to be a grave one. Medical malpractice cases involve complex elements and without an expert witness, it becomes impossible to prove medical negligence. If it is determined that there has been malpractice, the next course of action will be taken by both the attorney and the expert witness. Based on the understanding, the expert will prepare written reports in an impartial and neutral manner. Moreover, they are also called upon by the attorneys to provide deposition services. Remember that the facts put out by the experts can make or break a case. If you want to get your compensation rights, it’s better to have a professional by your side. With an experienced attorney and an expert witness, you can expect a favorable outcome.
