The following are annual numbers from 2008 for preventable medical errors. The first one is usually from not turning patients in bed.
1. Pressure ulcers - 374,964 errors, $10,288 per error, $3.86 billion total.
2. Postoperative infections - 252,695 errors, $14,548 per error, $3.68 billion total.
3. Mechanical complication of a device, implant, or graft - 60,380 errors, $18,771 per error, $1.13 billion total.