UNNECESSARY SURGERY LAWSUITS

Protecting Patients from Medical Overreach

Surgery is often essential and lifesaving, but there are troubling cases where patients undergo procedures they did not need. Unnecessary surgeries can expose individuals to anesthesia risks, infections, and long recovery times—all without addressing the underlying condition. When doctors or hospitals recommend or perform surgery without proper medical justification, they may be held legally responsible through unnecessary surgery lawsuits.

For patients and families, these cases are not only about recovering financial compensation but also about restoring trust in the healthcare system and deterring dangerous medical practices.

In this growing area of medical malpractice litigation, injured plaintiffs and hospital negligence attorneys are filing unnecessary surgery lawsuits. Doctors and hospitals have been allegedly churning costs for patients and presenting unnecessary risks of surgical complications.

Vascular stents and leg stents have reportedly been over-utilized by many physicians and in turn have lead to unnecessary surgical procedures. Such unnecessary surgery, when other less invasive care is not considered, drives up medical costs for patients and raises the health risks, as surgery complications can include infection and the need for further procedures.

Joe Lyon is an experienced medical malpractice lawyer and healthcare  whistleblower attorney reviewing cardiac surgery injury, leg stent complications, and unnecessary surgery lawsuits.

What is Considered an Unnecessary Surgery?

An unnecessary surgery occurs when a patient is subjected to an operation that provides no medical benefit, is performed prematurely, or could have been avoided through less invasive treatment. In some instances, financial incentives or systemic pressures play a role in these decisions.

Examples include:

• Cardiac stents or bypass surgeries when medication could have managed the condition.

• Back or spinal surgeries performed without exhausting conservative treatments.

• Hysterectomies or other organ removals where less invasive options were viable.

• Cosmetic procedures pushed for profit rather than patient need.

• Repeat surgeries that may not be medically indicated.

These procedures not only fail to help patients but also expose them to avoidable harm.

Why Do Unnecessary Surgeries Happen?

The causes vary, but common reasons include:

• Financial motives – Some healthcare systems profit more from performing surgeries than from recommending alternative treatments.

• Misdiagnosis – Incorrect or rushed diagnoses may result in surgery that isn’t actually needed.

• Overreliance on imaging – Scans and test results may be misinterpreted or overstated, leading to unnecessary interventions.

• Defensive medicine – Some physicians order surgeries out of fear of being sued for not taking aggressive action.

• Poor communication – Patients may not receive full explanations of risks, benefits, and alternatives.

Unnecessary Heart Stents & Cardiac Injury

In some medical reports, according to plaintiffs, doctors made misleading statements to justify their cardiac procedures as necessary. One study suggests that in over 40 percent of cases, doctors did not attempt to prescribe medication and lifestyle changes before choosing to place a heart stent. According to national treatment guidelines, cardiac stent placement is only recommended in patients whose arteries are around 70 percent blocked.

A study recently released in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) notes that heart stents do not benefit most stable coronary artery disease patients, and could be considered unnecessary. The risks of common artery blockages may have been overblown in years past, as medical experts now say most patients will not see any significant improvement or reduction in preventing heart attacks or strokes.

Many Americans suffer from angina, and heart surgeons have been inserting coronary stents into blocked arteries to increase blood and oxygen flow to safe levels. However studies have found that heart stents may not have any significant impact on the long-term health of patients with coronary artery disease. Unnecessary Heart Stent lawsuits may be filed in the following cases:

• The procedure directly lead to a heart attack or death after stent placement
• Patient has suffered an injury related to heart stent placement
• A patient was not offered other less-invasive alternatives like medication and lifestyle changes

Unnecessary Cardiac Surgery & Defective Stents

For any patient to suspect unnecessary cardiac procedure, it is prudent to contact a medical malpractice attorney to investigate. The Lyon Firm can obtain medical records and work with industry experts and cardiologists to determine the root cause of a cardiac injury. Compensation may be sought and lawsuits may be required to recover medical costs and damages.

Along with medical malpractice, defective stents may also be a cause of cardiac injury. Stent recalls have initiated in years past, including the Taxus heart stents, of which over 100,000 were recalled due to concerns with side effects. Abbott also recalled heart stents in 2017 after several injury reports. The FDA reported a risk of the following:

• Air embolism
• Blood clots
• Myocardial infarction
• Death

Unnecessary Surgery Whistleblower Lawsuits

Critics say the American health care system is designed to profit from patient visits. This helps to explain why unnecessary heart stents and leg stents have been placed in patients that may not benefit from the surgery.

Each procedure can churn a profit with doctors charging, and in turn using medical devices in the process. Medicare and other insurance agents are charged for medical costs, raising the health risks for patients, and raising the medical costs for everyone.

Recent studies in the Journal of Vascular Surgery highlight a systemic problem in the healthcare system where doctors perform unnecessary medical procedures for a myriad of reasons. Physicians may be receiving kickbacks from medical device companies for using their products. Doctors may also be unintentionally raising health risks because certain procedures have become so commonplace.

Unnecessary vascular surgery and leg stent operations have been identified as being performed far more than may necessary. Other operations that may not be completely necessary include Lasik Surgery , back and spinal surgery, and joint replacement surgeries.

High rates of unnecessary cardiac and leg stent surgery have been reported by medical data as well as by whistleblowers within the medical industry. Healthcare whistleblowers who come forward and are able to identify hospitals and individual doctors who take advantage of government services like Medicaid and Medicare can be rewarded handsomely.

Can I Sue For Unnecessary Surgery?

The short answer is Yes. However, a full investigation will be needed. The Lyon Firm has the resources to hire experts in the medical industry to help build the strongest possible case in any leg stent or coronary stent injury.

There can be many reasons why an unnecessary surgery was performed. Patients who have been injured in any angioplasty malpractice incidence can seek compensation through legal action.

Unnecessary Medical Procedure Injury

Doctors perform surgery in many cases because they have been trained to do so. Maybe they are confident in their abilities and do not fully consider certain post-op risks. Less often, doctors have monetary incentives involved when medical device companies reward physicians for using products necessary in leg stent and heart stent procedures.

Leg stent and cardiac surgery complication risks may include stroke, hemorrhaging, infection, damage to tissue and organs, anesthesia error, and revision surgery risk. Surgical malpractice lawsuits can be filed when in injury occurs, when a doctor or surgeon fails to warn of the potential risk, or when less invasive medical options available are not used.