Surgical Burns and Positioning Injuries: Who’s Responsible?
Patients undergoing surgery place full trust in the medical team. They expect careful monitoring, appropriate positioning, and protection from preventable harm. Yet, every year, patients suffer surgical burns from equipment or cautery devices and positioning injuries such as nerve damage, compartment syndrome, or pressure ulcers. These injuries raise a crucial question: Who is responsible when they occur—the surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurses, or the hospital itself?
At Lexcura Summit Medical-Legal Consulting, we help attorneys unravel these complex liability cases with litigation-ready medical reviews, timelines, and expert analysis.
What Causes Surgical Burns?
Burn injuries in the operating room are usually preventable and often stem from:
Electrocautery devices misused or left active
Faulty grounding pads leading to thermal injury
Chemical prep agents (e.g., alcohol-based antiseptics) igniting under surgical lights
Equipment malfunctions due to poor maintenance
Because these burns occur while patients are under anesthesia, they are only discovered post-operatively, making documentation critical to uncover what went wrong.
How Positioning Injuries Occur
Positioning injuries happen when patients are left in one position for extended procedures. Common complications include:
Nerve damage (ulnar, peroneal, brachial plexus) from improper padding
Compartment syndrome from prolonged immobility
Pressure sores from inadequate turning or cushioning
Circulatory impairment if limbs are positioned incorrectly
Anesthesiologists, circulating nurses, and surgical teams all share responsibility for ensuring safe positioning protocols.
Who’s Liable for These Injuries?
Determining liability depends on the facts of the case:
Surgeons – Ultimately responsible for the surgical field and overall procedure.
Anesthesiologists – Monitor patient safety, positioning, and physiological responses.
Nurses and Techs – Responsible for applying pads, checking skin integrity, and documenting intraoperative safety checks.
Hospitals – Liable if faulty equipment, poor training, or understaffing contributed.
Attorneys must prove that standards of care were breached and that the harm was preventable with proper precautions.
Key Evidence in Litigation
When litigating surgical burns or positioning injuries, the following records are essential:
Anesthesia records documenting positioning and monitoring
Intraoperative nursing notes for safety checks
Device logs and maintenance records for equipment used
Operative reports identifying surgical methods and instruments
Post-op nursing documentation noting discovery of injury
Chronology reconstruction helps attorneys build a clear picture of what happened minute by minute.
How Lexcura Summit Supports Attorneys
At Lexcura Summit, we provide:
Medical Chronologies – Detailed event mapping of surgical procedures.
Narrative Summaries – Explaining where the surgical team deviated from standards.
Case Screening – Identifying whether malpractice can be supported.
Life Care Plans – Outlining long-term costs for permanent injuries.
Defense & Rebuttal Reports – Supporting both plaintiff and defense attorneys.
With 200+ board-certified clinicians, we deliver litigation-ready reviews in 7 days (rush in 2–3)—nationwide and fully HIPAA-compliant.
Key Takeaways
Surgical burns and positioning injuries are often preventable.
Liability may rest with surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, or hospitals.
Medical records and intraoperative documentation are critical to proving negligence.
Lexcura Summit strengthens cases with expert chronologies, summaries, and life care planning.
Contact Lexcura Summit
Handling a surgical burn or positioning injury case? We can help.
Lexcura Summit Medical-Legal Consulting, LLC
📞 (352) 703-0703
🌐 www.lexcura-summit.com
