Medical malpractice attorney James Campbell represented a young child in a devastating case involving wrong-site brain surgery.

The child suffered a serious brain bleed following a fall and required emergency surgery to relieve dangerous pressure on the brain. Tragically, the surgical team initially performed the craniotomy on the wrong side of the child's skull. After recognizing the error, the team closed the surgical site and proceeded to perform the necessary craniotomy on the correct side.

Wrong-site surgery is not simply the mistake of a single individual. Modern surgical safety procedures are specifically designed to prevent this type of error through multiple, overlapping safeguards.

The Surgical “Time Out” Is Designed to Prevent Wrong-Site Surgery

Before an operation begins, the surgical team is expected to conduct a formal preoperative verification process, commonly referred to as a surgical “time out.” Among other things, the team confirms the identity of the patient, the procedure being performed, and the correct surgical site.

This process is particularly important because patient safety is a shared responsibility. The surgeon, nursing staff, anesthesia professionals, and other members of the operating-room team each have a role in ensuring that the correct procedure is performed at the correct location.

In this case, the wrong-side craniotomy raised questions extending well beyond the conduct of the surgeon. Our investigation examined how the entire surgical safety system failed to identify the wrong surgical site before the first incision was made.

A Failure of Multiple Safety Checks

James Campbell prosecuted the case as a system failure involving the responsibilities of the surgeon and other members of the operating-room team, including nursing and anesthesia personnel.

A properly functioning surgical safety system should contain redundancies. The purpose is to prevent a single mistake from reaching the patient. Site marking, review of imaging and medical records, communication among team members, and the pre-incision time out are intended to provide multiple opportunities to identify and correct an error.

When surgery begins on the wrong side of a patient's body, an important question is not merely who made the initial mistake. It is also why the safeguards designed to catch that mistake failed.

For a young child requiring emergency brain surgery, the consequences of such a breakdown can be particularly serious. The patient is already facing a potentially life-threatening neurological emergency, and an unnecessary operation can expose the child to additional surgical and anesthetic risks while delaying the treatment that was urgently needed.

Holding the Entire Medical Team Accountable

Complex medical malpractice cases often require a detailed examination of hospital policies, surgical protocols, medical records, imaging, and the responsibilities of each member of the treatment team.

James Campbell's representation focused on reconstructing how the error occurred, identifying each missed opportunity to prevent it, and establishing the responsibilities of the healthcare professionals involved.

Wrong-site surgery is precisely the type of event that preoperative verification procedures and the surgical time out are intended to prevent. When those protections fail, determining why they failed—and who was responsible—is an essential part of protecting the injured patient and pursuing accountability.

Because of our obligations to our clients, we do not disclose identifying information or confidential details concerning the child or the resolution of the case.

This article is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute medical or legal advice.