At Poulos & Coates, LLP, we understand how profoundly life can change when a preventable mistake occurs in the operating room. Among the most serious errors are retained surgical instrument items, like sponges, clamps, or scalpels, left inside a patient’s body after a procedure. While these events are relatively rare, they are never acceptable. They can cause severe complications,...
Continue ReadingWe look to surgery as a drastic measure to improve the health of a part of our body that is in urgent need. But what happens when a surgeon operates on the wrong body part? Wrong site surgery is one of the most devastating forms of medical malpractice. It can lead to permanent injury, loss of function, and lifelong...
Continue ReadingHeart attacks don’t always happen dramatically like they do on TV. For many patients, the signs are subtle, and too often, they’re missed by medical professionals. When a doctor fails to recognize a heart attack in time, the consequences can be devastating or fatal. If you or a loved one suffered serious harm because a provider missed heart attack...
Continue ReadingNo one goes into surgery expecting to come out worse than they went in. However, the result can be devastating when a medical team skips a safety step, uses the wrong instrument, or operates on the wrong body part. At Poulos & Coates, we help patients across New Mexico determine whether their experience qualifies as surgical error malpractice. Many...
Continue ReadingColonoscopy procedures are essential for detecting and preventing serious health issues, such as colorectal cancer. However, for many, the idea of having one can cause anxiety. In addition, when colonoscopy side effects occur, they can increase distress and create uncertainty.In some cases, these issues stem from what’s known as a botched colonoscopy—a procedure that was performed incorrectly or incompletely,...
Continue ReadingIVs are commonly used to deliver fluids, medications, or blood products, but they come with risks, such as IV infiltration complications. Signs of IV infiltration include swelling, redness, puffiness, and pain around the IV site. If not identified and treated promptly, IV infiltration can lead to serious complications. Read on to learn more about the meaning of IV infiltration,...
Continue ReadingNerve damage can have a lasting impact on your ability to live your life the way you want. If you are such a victim, you may wonder, What is the average payout for nerve damage? The average payout for nerve damage in the United States is around $20,000. Compensation can range from $5,000 to over $250,000 depending on injury...
Continue ReadingA wrong diagnosis can change everything about your medical care. It can lead to months of treating a condition you don’t have, dealing with symptoms that continue to worsen, or undergoing medical procedures that didn’t need to happen. By the time the correct diagnosis comes, the damage is often already done. Misdiagnosis is one of the most serious forms...
Continue ReadingSome surgical errors are so serious that the medical community agrees they should never happen. But in operating rooms across New Mexico, patients still suffer injuries because a hospital fails to follow basic safety steps or standard procedures. At Poulos & Coates, we help families find out why. Many of our clients come to us after surgery with the...
Continue ReadingWhen medical care goes wrong, the terms delayed diagnosis vs misdiagnosis usually come up. To a patient, both experiences can feel the same. You trusted your doctor, but they missed something important. Now you’re facing new treatments, more serious health problems, or a more prolonged recovery because the correct diagnosis came too late, or never came at all. These...
Continue Reading