Complications are a known part of surgery, and having one does not mean anything was done wrong. The questions that matter are about the specifics: what was disclosed beforehand, what happened during and after the procedure, and how the response to the complication unfolded.
The short answer
After a surgical complication, the useful evidence is usually already in your possession or obtainable: the consent discussion and paperwork, operative and discharge documents, the sequence of follow-up visits, and the accounts of any new providers who treated the complication. Organizing those materials into a timeline — procedure, complication, response, outcome — is the most valuable preparation you can do. Judging the care itself is a job for expert review.
The procedure and what you were told beforehand
Write down what you were told to expect: the planned procedure, named risks, alternatives, and anything said about who would perform which part. The consent form is a document to keep, but the conversation around it often matters just as much — record what you remember of it, and when.
The complication and the response
Note when the problem became apparent, how it was described to you and by whom, and what was done next — additional procedures, imaging, transfers, medication changes. Include dates as closely as you can. If your recollection and the chart disagree, note both; that disagreement is itself a fact a reviewer will want to see.
Discharge instructions and follow-up
Discharge paperwork tells you what the care team considered important to watch for and do. Keep it, along with every follow-up note, prescription, and instruction sheet. Where instructions changed between providers, or where you were unable to follow them, that belongs in the timeline too.
Later treatment and other providers
New providers who addressed the complication often hold the clearest account of what went wrong and what it required. Their records, bills, and referral notes help connect the procedure to its downstream care.
Records and questions to bring
Bring to any lawyer conversation: the timeline above, discharge and follow-up documents, portal messages, medication lists, and a written list of your unanswered questions. You do not need to obtain hospital records before speaking with someone — that can be handled after an initial conversation.