Claiming Compensation for a Fistula after Substandard Maternity Care
A rectovaginal fistula is a rare and shocking injury which occasionally occurs following vaginal childbirth. If poor-quality medical care has caused this appalling outcome, it may be appropriate to make a claim for compensation.
What is a rectovaginal fistula?
The immediate physical effects of a rectovaginal fistula can be pretty shocking. A fistula is an abnormal passage between the rectum and the vagina. This means that wind and faeces can travel from inside the rectum into the vagina, causing the woman to experience abnormal vaginal leakage.
Practically and emotionally, such an injury and occurrence can be extremely distressing, causing the new mother to suffer depression and a loss of confidence, sometimes becoming anxious about leaving her home.
At a broader, financial level, such an injury can cause life-changing difficulties, limiting what type of employment the woman is able to undertake. She may struggle to work at all.
What causes a rectovaginal fistula?
A rectovaginal fistula can develop during vaginal childbirth or if a severe birth tear does not receive a prompt and skilled diagnosis and repair.
Occasionally during childbirth a woman may suffer a tear which extends from her vagina, across her perineum and into the anal canal, damaging her anal muscles and the internal lining. Such a severe injury needs to be diagnosed and skilfully repaired as soon as possible after the birth. If this does not happen, the woman may develop a hole or fistula in the anal lining.
How should it be treated?
A 4th degree tear, also known as an obstetric anal sphincter injury, needs to be repaired in an operating theatre by an experienced surgeon. The full extent of the injury needs to be repaired using appropriate techniques and materials to ensure that the repair does not break down.
Contact us today to talk to a specialist solicitor about the possibility of making a claim for compensation.
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