This question was originally posted on Quora.com and was answered by Sid Schwab, M.D., Surgeon, newspaper Columnist, Vietnam Vet, author It can happen. Not often, but it does. Assuming it’s correctable, it gets corrected. The error and repair (or lack thereof) are documented in the operative report. Eventually the incident will be reviewed by the hospital’s surgical QA team (I was chairman of ours for several years), and if action is deemed necessary, it’ll happen. Anywhere from requiring monitoring for a period of time to, if considered so egregious, suspension. Of course “big mistake” covers a lot of territory. There are many situations surgeons face where decisions need to be made, none of which is obviously correct or obviously wrong. Things don’t always work out. That’s another matter. A “big mistake,” in my mind, suggests getting into a vein, or artery, or duct, or intestine, etc… for which it’s generally a simple matter of noticing, then fixing. Problems for the patient arise only if not noticed at the time. Source
