Medical Verdicts

Bowel injury leads to long recovery


 

Shelby County (Tenn) Circuit Court

An elderly woman underwent a hysterectomy as treatment for endometrial cancer. During the procedure the bowel was injured. Two days later a second surgery was performed to repair the bowel, but was unsuccessful. After a third surgery, an abdominal infection and a fistula developed, requiring a lengthy recuperation.

In suing, the woman claimed the defendant negligently performed the first surgery. The defendant contended that the injury was a surgical complication due to dense adhesions encountered during the first procedure.

  • The jury returned a defense verdict.
The cases in this column are selected by the editors of OBG Management from Medical Malpractice Verdicts, Settlements & Experts, with permission of the editor, Lewis Laska, of Nashville, Tenn (www.verdictslaska.com). While there are instances when the available information is incomplete, these cases represent the types of clinical situations that typically result in litigation.

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