Medical malpractice lawsuits target orthopedic surgeons at high rates, with 49 malpractice lawsuits happening for foot and ankle surgeons between 2008 and 2018.
A February report published in The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery, compiled a list of all foot and ankle malpractice claims since 2008, collecting various plaintiff data.
Six other trends in foot and ankle surgery malpractice lawsuits:
1. The majority of cases (53.1 percent) happened in the Northeast.
2. The majority of plaintiffs were adult females.
3. Forefoot treatment had a higher percentage (29 percent) of malpractice lawsuits than any other region of the foot or ankle.
4. Most of the claims (65 percent) involved surgery.
5. Infection was the most common complication (22 percent).
6. Juries sided with the defending surgeon 73 percent of the time.