What causes a perforated bowel?

On Behalf of | Dec 5, 2019 | Medical Malpractice

A Kansas City resident who has gone through abdominal surgery, including robotic surgery, should be concerned if he or she begins to feel severe stomach pains accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The reason is that these are symptoms of a perforated bowel.

If symptoms also include fever and chills, it could be a sign that the perforation or wound is getting infected. A perforated bowel, which is a fancy name for a hole in one’s digestive tract, can happen for a number of reasons, including natural, and often unavoidable, medical conditions. However, bowl perforation can also happen when a sharp object or even a blow to the abdomen punctures, nicks or tears one’s digestive tract.

In the world of surgery, bowel perforation too often occurs when the doctor accidentally injures the patient’s bowel with his equipment and does not notice or correct the problem immediately. A bowel perforation can also develop should the patient’s surgical stiches or staples fail, causing the bowel to come open.

These sorts of errors should not be passed off as minor mistakes. Aside from being painful and troublesome in themselves, a perforated bowel can lead to infections which are both aggressive and quite difficult to treat. Moreover, a perforated bowel may also cause undetected internal bleeding.

Moreover, in most cases, a bowel perforation is going to require another surgery to correct. In some situations, treatment may even include an unwanted and unplanned for ileostomy or colostomy. Of course, another surgery means additional bills as well as the possibility of further lost wages and additional pain and suffering.

A Missouri resident who experienced a bowel perforation during surgery and had to go through the process of correcting it should evaluate her legal options carefully, as he or she may have a viable medical malpractice case. This civil action could help a patient hold a negligent medical professional liable while also assisting with the recovery of compensation.

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