It is estimated that there are currently more than 1.7 million amputees living in the United States. Additionally, 65,000 amputations are performed each year in this country. Of these amputations, 82 percent are required due to vascular diseases and 22 percent are necessitated by trauma.
Sometimes an amputation may be required for both vascular and traumatic reasons. Diabetes is the primary cause of amputations based on vascular diseases. Undergoing an amputation is a hard reality to accept and any injuries caused by medical malpractice only complicate the recovery process. Amputation medical malpractice includes recommending an amputation when other options are available, amputating a larger portion of a limb than necessary, performing the amputation on the wrong part of the body, or causing injury to surrounding parts of the body.
Risks of Amputation Surgeries
Planned amputations have a higher risk of complications than emergency complications. This is due to the fact that planned amputations occur in older patients suffering from vascular diseases such as diabetes. Amputations pose a more serious risk to those suffering from vascular diseases because the disease restricts the blood flow through the body.
One study found that 1 in 11 patients with restricted blood flow died within 30 days of a leg amputation. Above-knee amputations had a 1 in 6 risk of death and below-knee amputations had a 1 in 17 risk of death. Amputations can also cause other complications such as heart attack, pneumonia, or infection. Because of these serious complications, an amputation is considered a last resort treatment. Therefore, a doctor may violate his or her standard of care if they recommend and conduct an amputation when other treatments are still available.
Do You Need An Amputation Lawyer?
If you or a loved one has been injured because of amputation medical malpractice, the RI lawyers at d’Oliveira & Associates want you to know that you may be entitled to compensation. Our law firm has years of experience when it comes to personal injury lawsuits and we work with some of the leading medical malpractice attorneys, who handle these cases. Please contact the law offices of d’Oliveira & Associates at 1-800-992-6867 or fill out a contact form for a free legal consultation.
Providence Personal Injury Lawyers | d’Oliveira & AssociatesProvidence, RI 02909
Phone: (401) 831-8600
Paul d’Oliveira
Attorney Paul d’Oliveira has been practicing personal injury and disability law for over 30 years. He started his personal injury law practice in 1989 with two offices in Fall River, MA and East Providence, RI. Today his firm has 16 offices in RI and Southeastern, MA.
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