When you 're a patient , you trust you 're in good hands , but even the best doctor or nurse can make a mistake on you or someone you love . `` Mistakes are happening every day in every hospital in the country that we 're just not catching , '' says Dr. Albert Wu , an internist at Johns Hopkins Hospital . Medical errors kill more than a quarter million people every year in the United States and injure millions . Add them all up and `` you have probably the third leading cause of death '' in the country , says Dr. Peter Pronovost , an anesthesiologist and critical care physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital . The harm is often avoidable , and there are strategies you can use to help doctors and nurses get things right . Here 's a list of 10 shocking medical mistakes and ways to not become a victim : . 1 . Mistake : Treating the wrong patient • Cause : Hospital staff fails to verify a patient 's identity . • Consequences : Patients with similar names are confused . • Prevention : Before every procedure in the hospital , make sure the staff checks your entire name , date of birth and barcode on your wrist band . • Example case : Kerry Higuera . 2 . Mistake : Surgical souvenirs • Cause : Surgical staff miscounts ( or fails to count ) equipment used inside a patient during an operation . • Consequences : Tools get left inside the body . • Prevention : If you have unexpected pain , fever or swelling after surgery , ask if you might have a surgical instrument inside you . • Example case : Nelson Bailey . 3 . Mistake : Lost patients • Cause : Patients with dementia are sometimes prone to wandering . • Consequences : Patients may become trapped while wandering and die from hypothermia or dehydration . • Prevention : If your loved one sometimes wanders , consider a GPS tracking bracelet . • Example case : Mary Cole . 4 . Mistake : Fake doctors • Cause : Con artists pretend to be doctors . • Consequences : Medical treatments backfire . Instead of getting better , patients get sicker . • Prevention : Confirm online that your physician is licensed . • Example case : Sarafina Gerling . 5 . Mistake : The ER waiting game • Cause : Emergency rooms get backed up when overcrowded hospitals do n't have enough beds . • Consequences : Patients get sicker while waiting for care . • Prevention : Doctors listen to other doctors , so on your way to the hospital call your physician and ask them to call the emergency room . • Example case : Malyia Jeffers . 6 . Mistake : Air bubbles in blood • Cause : The hole in a patient 's chest is n't sealed airtight after a chest tube is removed . • Consequences : Air bubbles get sucked into the wound and cut off blood supply to the patient 's lungs , heart , kidneys and brain . Left uncorrected the patient dies . • Prevention : If you have a central line tube in you , ask how you should be positioned when the line comes out . • Example case : Blake Fought7 . Mistake : Operating on the wrong body part • Cause : A patient 's chart is incorrect , or a surgeon misreads it , or surgical draping obscures marks that denote the correct side of the operation . • Consequences : The surgeon cuts into the wrong side of a patient 's body . • Prevention : Just before surgery , make sure you reaffirm with the nurse and the surgeon the correct body part and side of your operation . • Example case : Jesse Matlock8 . Mistake : Infection infestation • Cause : Doctors and nurses do n't wash their hands . • Consequences : Patients can die from infections spread by hospital workers . • Prevention : It may be uncomfortable to ask , but make sure doctors and nurses wash their hands before they touch you , even if they 're wearing gloves . • Example case : Josh Nahum . 9 . Mistake : Lookalike tubes • Cause : A chest tube and a feeding tube can look a lot alike . • Consequences : Medicine meant for the stomach goes into the chest . • Prevention : When you have tubes in you , ask the staff to trace every tube back to the point of origin so the right medicine goes to the right place . • Example case : Alicia Coleman . 10 . Mistake : Waking up during surgery • Cause : An under-dose of anesthesia . • Consequences : The brain stays awake while the muscles stay frozen . Most patients are n't in any pain but some feel every poke , prod and cut . • Prevention : When you schedule surgery , ask your surgeon if you need to be put asleep or if a local anesthetic might work just as well . • Example case : Erin Cook . Do you have a personal story to tell about a medical mistake ? Share it in the comments section below .
Expert : Medical errors kill more than 250,000 people in the United States yearly . `` Mistakes are happening every day in every hospital in the country , '' says top doctor . There are strategies you can use to help doctors and nurses get things right .