Bowel Damage During Hysterectomy
If your bowel was damaged during a hysterectomy and the injury was not repaired at the time of the procedure, you could be entitled to claim compensation for the pain and suffering this has caused. Get in touch with us today to speak to a solicitor about your experience.
Bowel injury during hysterectomy
A hysterectomy is when the womb (otherwise known as the uterus) is surgically removed. Often this will be required to treat conditions such as cancer, fibroids or heavy periods. With around 60,000 hysterectomies performed on the NHS every year, it is a relatively common procedure. Even so, it is a major operation that carries a number of risks, one of which is bowel damage.
Bowel damage is a risk of hysterectomy because lies close to the womb. It is therefore very vulnerably during the removal of the womb and can easily be nicked, cut or severed. If this does happen, it is important that the surgeon recognises the injury and carries out a repair there and then. As long as this is achieved, the standard of care will be considered reasonable.
Failure to notice bowel damage
Unfortunately, however, there are times when the bowel is damaged during a hysterectomy but the injury goes unnoticed. Consequently the patient is returned to the ward after the operation, unaware that she has a hole in the wall of her bowel. This will be very problematic as faeces, food and other waste products will leak through the cut and into the abdominal cavity.
When waste products leak into the abdomen, it will quickly lead to a severe infection called peritonitis. This will make a patient extremely unwell and will lead to symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and a painful bloated abdomen. A patient's condition will rapidly deteriorate and will often result in a patient spending time in the intensive care unit. For some the complications associated with bowel damage can be fatal.
Claiming for bowel damage
If the bowel is damaged during a hysterectomy but it is not recognised and repaired immediately, the standard of care will be considered negligent. The injured patient will therefore be entitled to pursue a medical negligence claim against the hospital in question.
If this has happened to you or your loved one, get in touch with us today. A solicitor will be able to suggest what options are available. If you do have a case, we will help you claim compensation for the damages you have incurred.
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