Medical Malpractice

Unsterilized Surgical Instruments In A Kansas City Area Hospital

When you go to the hospital for surgery in Kansas or Missouri, the last thing you expect to be a problem is unsterilized surgical instruments. It is presumed that the surgical equipment and instruments are clean and sterile.  Unfortunately for one of our Kansas City clients, this was not a safe presumption.

In this case, our client had suffered a serious injury to her low back and was admitted to the hospital where she was to undergo a back surgery known as an anterior decompressive discectomy with interbody fusion and BAK cage implantation. She was taken to surgery as planned and her surgeons began the operation.

Just as the surgeon began the actual operative procedure, the operating room nurse supervisor came into the operating room and reported that the autoclave used to sterilize one of the trays of surgical instruments had failed a test to confirm that it was operating properly (It was later discovered that the autoclave operator had used the wrong setting for sterilizing the instruments). After consultation with an infectious disease specialist, it was determined that the operation should not proceed due to the risk of infection and the surgical incision was then closed. Our client was then sent to the recovery room.

Following the aborted surgery, our client had to undergo a course of intravenous antibiotic therapy and a special access for the IV was surgically implanted in her arm. The antibiotic therapy caused unpleasant side effects but was completed and the client did not develop an infection.

A second surgery was successfully performed a month later without further incident.

As a result of this situation, our client had a prolonged course of treatment and was needlessly exposed to the risks of a second surgical procedure.

Following the filing of a lawsuit, this matter was successfully resolved through mediation.

The attorneys at Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys have been pursuing medical malpractice claims for more than 15 years. If you have been injured due to medical negligence or medical malpractice, you can find answers to many of your most pressing questions here on our website. You can also learn about our lawyers, our case results, and read the testimonials of numerous clients we have successfully represented, whether in claims, litigation, or trial. At Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys, we are proud of the representation we have provided to medical negligence victims and their families, and the testimonials of those we have led through the confusing and often daunting claims and litigation process speak to our passion.