A woman is suing for surgical malpractice claiming that she suffered third degree burns on her back while she was being prepped for surgery.

The lawsuit was filed earlier this month by Veronica Sasenbury, who says that when she went in for surgery to treat her hyperparathyroidism, doctors allowed a hot object to press against her back causing her to suffer serious burns.  She was only 12 years old at the time.

Sasenbury says that doctors were negligent in failing to properly monitor her surgery preparation.  Her suit also states that one of the doctors at the hospital where the incident occurred did not properly supervise his assistants with regard to the proper placement of surgical devices.

As a result of the medical error, Sasenbury has had to endure multiple additional surgeries, is permanently disfigured and has suffered costly medical expenses, pain and suffering.

Every surgical procedure comes with a risk.  Some errors are completely unavoidable and not every mistake constitutes surgical malpractice.  There are some, however, that medical attorneys see more frequently than others, such as:

• Surgery on wrong organ, wrong site surgery or wrong side surgery
• Incorrect incision
• Use of unsanitary surgical utensils
• Puncture or perforation of an organ
• Delayed surgery
• Prolonged surgery

There are plenty of other scenarios in which a doctor or medical staff’s negligence contributes to the injury of a patient and causes surgical malpractice, but the best way to know for sure if you have been a victim is to sit down with a medical lawyer who has experience in dealing with surgical malpractice lawsuits.  He or she can evaluate your claim and help you determine what the next step should be.