Gallbladder Surgery
Most people give no thought to their gallbladders until they start to experience pain. Gallbladders are relatively small organs located below the liver that are part of our digestive system. The main purpose of the gallbladder is to store bile until it is released into the small intestine.
A gallbladder is a useful but expendable organ. Most people who develop gallstones choose to have their gallbladder removed because gallstones, and the horrific pain that they bring with them, often recur. A gallbladder can be removed through laparoscopic surgery or traditional surgery. In a well-performed gallbladder surgery, the bile created by the body is redirected to move directly from the liver to the small intestine.
Common Errors in Laparoscopic Gallbladder Surgery
The single biggest risk to a patient in a laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is a careless error by the surgeon.
In a laparoscopic procedure, the surgeon creates a small incision and inserts a camera that displays the patient’s gallbladder on a screen. If the surgeon does not use a reasonable amount of care then the common bile duct could be cut which sends bile into the patient’s abdomen and, in effect, poisons the patient. There is also a risk that the surgeon could harm the small intestine or another internal organ with a medical instrument.
While laparoscopic incisions are smaller than the incisions created in traditional surgery, there is still a risk that the incision site could get infected if it is not properly cared for during a patient’s hospital stay or outpatient follow-up care.
If you or a loved one have been the victim of a gallbladder surgical error, please contact the experienced and qualified medical malpractice attorneys of Schwartzapfel Truhowsky Marcus P.C. We can be reached at 1.800.966.4999 or via our online contact form. We are ready to provide you with a free case evaluation and to fight for you!
Common Errors in Traditional Gallbladder Surgery
Bleeding, infections and injury to the common bile duct are the most significant risks associated with an open (or "traditional") gallbladder surgery. Surgeons must exercise a reasonable amount of care, as they do during laparoscopic surgery, and medical personnel must take extra efforts during the patient’s recovery period.
Doctors can also make errors in deciding which type of gallbladder surgery to perform. For example, patients who have had extensive abdominal surgeries in the past should have traditional gallbladder surgery because of the risk of significant bleeding during laparoscopic surgery.
All surgeries carry risks. However, medical malpractice unnecessarily harms a patient and can create irreversible damage, tremendous amounts of pain, a long and complicated recovery period or even death. If the medical personnel involved in your gall bladder surgery, or recovery from surgery, did not act as reasonable professionals with similar training would have acted and that failure to act as a reasonable medical professional resulted in medical harm to you or your loved one, then you are entitled to damages pursuant to state law.
Our attorneys want you to recover the damages that are rightfully yours. Please contact the medical malpractice attorneys of Schwartzapfel Truhowsky Marcus P.C. at 1.800.966.4999 or fill out our online contact form for a free case evaluation. Let us put our combined 150 years of experience to work for you.
