My Decompression Surgery Was Delayed
Did doctors diagnose you with cauda equina syndrome but fail to proceed straight to emergency decompression surgery?
If your operation was delayed, causing your nerves to suffer further injury, you could be the victim of medical negligence. This would entitle you to pursue a claim for compensation.
Why was my operation delayed?
Once a patient is diagnosed with cauda equina syndrome, he/she must undergo emergency decompression surgery. This means it must be carried out the same day, or the following morning if the diagnosis is achieved late at night.
The only other reason why an operation could be performed the following day is if the patient already has urinary retention, because by this point the nerves are already badly injured. Therefore same-day surgery is not essential, although it should still be carried out the following day as the patient will still benefit from urgent surgery.
But sometimes decompression surgery is not performed on an emergency or an urgent basis. The patient may be made to wait on the ward or may be discharged home.
If a patient is made to wait more than 24 hours, he/she could develop urinary retention while waiting for surgery. This is very serious because the patient will then have severe nerve damage which could have been avoided with earlier treatment.
Even if he/she does not develop retention, further nerve damage can be sustained during this time, exacerbating their injuries.
There are very few acceptable reasons why an operation for cauda equina syndrome might be delayed. Therefore if your operation was delayed for more than 24 hours, you need to find out whether you were subject to substandard medical care.
Speak to a solicitor
To find out if your cauda equina injuries have been made worse by medical mistakes, please contact us at Glynns Solicitors.
Medical practitioners should know that cauda equina syndrome needs emergency decompression surgery. The patient should be put to the top of the list for surgery. If the hospital is unable to achieve emergency surgery, another hospital should be found that can. Anything other than this standard of care could be considered negligent.
In order to prove medical negligence, you have to establish that there has been a breach of duty in failing to operate quickly enough, and that this delay caused you to suffer avoidable harm. We will be able to tell you whether you meet this criteria.
If we believe there is a case to be investigated, we will pursue a claim on your behalf, working to get the justice you deserve.
Call us now for a free, no obligation assessment on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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