Unnecessary Treatments and Surgeries
Unnecessary treatments, surgeries, or procedures can incur financial and physical burdens on the patient.
Physicians should provide their patients with the best possible care and be thorough with treatment so that the patient can recover to a good state of health. Medical treatments and surgeries improve and save people’s lives, but over-treating or doing unnecessary procedures can be just as dangerous as not having any procedures done at all. Let’s examine some of the most common unnecessary treatments and surgeries , and consider why unnecessary procedures occur in the first place.
Common Unnecessary Surgeries
Of the nearly 48 million surgeries that are performed every year in the United States, common unnecessary surgeries are:
- Implants of pacemakers and stents
- C-sections
- Knee Surgery
- Hysterectomy
- Spinal Surgery
Common Unnecessary Procedures
Below are examples of unnecessary procedures:
- Brain scans and imaging for fainting/ headaches
- X-rays for lower back pain
- Colonoscopies
- Frequent PAP tests in healthy, low-risk women
These tests or procedures may be critical for identifying health problems in patients. However, when carried out unnecessarily, the patient incurs unwarranted financial, physical, and emotional burdens.
Reasons for Unnecessary or Overtreatment
When doctors and surgeons recommend unnecessary treatments or surgeries, it may be a result of a misdiagnosis . Doctors may have read lab results incorrectly or mistakenly diagnosed a serious condition. In this case, the doctor mistake was unintentional, but still negligent. Even worse, some health care providers look to increase profits at the patient’s expense by performing unnecessary treatments and tests.
Consequences
As noted, ordering these unnecessary treatments, surgeries, or procedures can incur unnecessary burdens on the patient. Doctors or medical facilities that frequently order unnecessary tests increase the chances of finding a false positive in a healthy patient, which leads to more unnecessary procedures. When patients undergo surgery, they risk further complications when they may not have needed invasive procedures in the first place. The dangerous complications of operations can include infections, blood clots, loss of limb, paralysis , breathing problems, anesthesia-related injuries, and more.
Contact The Law Offices of Cardaro & Peek, LLC Today
Do you believe that you or your loved one has suffered as a result of medical malpractice or medical neglect? You need to talk to an experienced team of local lawyers today.
The lawyers at Cardaro & Peek, LLC have the experience and resources necessary to investigate and litigate all types of medical claims throughout Maryland and Washington D.C. Cardaro & Peek, LLC has medical personnel on staff and has access to nationally recognized, board-certified physicians and other experts, to assist in the investigation, analysis, and prosecution of all types of medical malpractice claims. If you or a loved one have experienced malpractice, give us a call at 410-752-6166. Please visit our website www.cardarolaw.com and follow us on Facebook , Twitter , and LinkedIn for more information.
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