Surgical errors are often blamed on the direct actions of individuals involved in the procedure. While there is of course a reason for this, other factors could lead to problems during an operation in the Pittsburgh area. One of the things that could cause a problem is an issue with the equipment being used during surgery.

As the field of medicine has grown, so too has the number of technologies utilized in the field. While most surgeries are dependent on at least a few machines, other, more complicated procedures need multiple technologies. When there is a problem with any one of these machines, it is possible that a patient could be injured.

The results of a study which sought to determine just how big of an impact technology has on surgical errors was recently released. It first determined that an average of 15 errors arise over the course of each operation. Of that amount, problems with the equipment being used were to blame for quarter of the errors. It is not clear how serious those errors were or how often the patient suffered serious or fatal injuries as a result of them.

The good news for those who may be facing an operation is there are things that can be done to reduce the risk of equipment errors occurring. In addition to conducting checks on the equipment before a surgery starts, providing proper training to staff on the equipment and using briefing tools was found to reduce technological errors by 50 percent.

As is the case in any error in a medical setting it is possible that a patient could be seriously hurt. When this happens it is important to know that it may be possible to file a medical malpractice lawsuit regarding the matter. A personal injury lawyer can help determine if it is an option.

Source: The Huffington Post, “Technology Problems Behind 1 In 4 Surgery Errors, Study Finds,” Bahar Gholipour, July 26, 2013