An article in AARP the Magazine listed several common surgeries that studies have shown to not only be ineffective as treatments, but may actually put a patient at risk.

According to the article, there are several reasons these procedures are performed on a routine basis. Most are “moneymakers” for the physicians who perform them and for the hospitals where they take place. Some of the procedures appear to work in the short-term, but have very little benefits for the long-term outlook of the patient and may actually cause more harm.

Stents for Stable Angina: If a person is having a heart attack, a stent may actually save their life. However, if the person is having chest pains that have been caused by stress or exertion (called stable angina), inserting a stent offers the same value of treatment as exercise or eating a diet that will lower cholesterol. But even though stents have been shown to be an ineffective treatment for this particular heart disease, there are almost half a million stents implanted in stable angina patients annually.

Complex Spinal Fusion for Stenosis: Spinal Stenosis is a very painful condition where soft tissue between vertebrae becomes flat, offering no buffer and creating pressure on the spinal cord and nerves running from it to the neck, shoulder, and extremities. The number one treatment for this condition is to fuse vertebrae together to limit mobility and decrease pain. The surgery can be dangerous. Studies have shown that patients who have a spinal fusion have triple the risk of developing serious complications than other surgeries. And most patients do not get any pain relief from the surgery. Yet in a five year period, there was a 1,400 percent increase in Medicaid patients having the procedure.

Hysterectomy for Uterine Fibroids: Every year, 600,000 women have hysterectomies. Most of those procedures are unnecessary. When a diagnosis of cancer has been made, a hysterectomy should be performed. However, many doctors are performing this procedure in women who have complications from uterine fibroids, which are benign. Complications from this surgery are common and include perforations of the colon or bowel, due to the location of the uterus.

If you have suffered injury or other medical side effects from a medical procedure, contact an experienced Westport medical malpractice attorney to find out what compensation you may be entitled to for pain and loss.