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North Carolina (NC) Medical Malpractice Lawyers
Attorneys Licensed in NC and South Carolina (SC) with Office in Elizabeth City, NC   


Blog Category:

Medical Malpractice/Doctor Mistakes

3/3/2010
Jim Lewis
Comments (0)

Perforated Bowel: A Preventable Surgical Mistake

A perforated bowel  is essentially a hole, or opening, in the wall of the stomach, small intestine, and/or large intestine. When surgery is performed, the surgeon can inadvertently cut the lining the bowel which leads to the perforation. This type of surgical error can lead to some pretty horrific side effects.

The reason you want to avoid a perforated bowel at all costs is because the opening in the stomach/intestine allows food, stool, and other substances to leak into your stomach causing peritonitis (i.e. inflammation of the abdomen), according to freemd.com.  The side effects include severe nausea, fever, dehydration, etc. If you dont get the cut bowel corrected in a timely manner, the risk of death increases precipitously.

Surgeries where a perforated bowel has a higher chance of occurring include colonoscopy, surgery to remove a polyp and/or mass in the bowel, and, in some rare cases a hysterectomy. However, in all honesty, any procedure where a surgeon is using a scalpel on your internal organs, a perforation can occur.

This is why you need to be prepared, both before and after the surgery. Ask the surgeon how many procedures theyve performed in the past. If you dont feel comfortable with the answer, always remember you can request the services of another surgeon. After the surgery, be on the lookout for the side effects listed above. The moment you notice these problems, contact your doctor and surgeon immediately in order to get it checked out.

If its discovered the surgeon made a mistake and cut your bowel, or another intestine, you should seek the advice of a medical malpractice attorney. Our firm has represented victims whove suffered very serious after an intestine was perforated (check out the case result here).  This type of surgical mistake is preventable and you have legal rights in this situation. To gain additional knowledge about perforated bowel issues and other surgical errors, please read our free consumer report about the top-5 surgical errors and how not to become a victim.


PA

Labels: attorney bowel colonoscopy hysterectomy injury intestine Lewis malpractice medical mistake perforated polyp stomach surgeon surgery


About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and have extensive experience handling medical malpractice cases. Please take a few moments to review our medical malpractice case results. We serve every area of North Carolina, including the Outer Banks, Nags Head and the western mountains, as well as all the cities and counties in between. In South Carolina, we cover the state from Myrtle Beach and Charleston to Orangeburg, Columbia, Florence, Rock Hill, Darlington, Aiken, Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been included among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008 and we have been named one of the Best Injury Law Firms in North Carolina for personal injury law since 2010 by U.S. News & World Report. In addition, we have been listed in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009 and our firm has the highest rating of AV from national lawyer ranking organization Martindale-Hubbell. That means we have a reputation for demonstrating preeminent legal skill.

We offer free special reports on the Top 10 Tips From Experienced Medical Malpractice Lawyers and the Top 5 Surgical Errors You Must Know About. 

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer a free, initial confidential injury case consultation, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail and so we can return your call promptly.


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Elizabeth City, NC Personal Injury Attorneys
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Specializing in North Carolina Wrongful Death & Injury Law  


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