Routine Women’s Medical Procedures Carry Major Risks of Death and Life-Threatening Sepsis From Cut or Perforated Ureters, Bowels and Colons

by James Lewis

JIm is a Virginia injury attorney who handles car accidents, medical malpractice, FELA, wrongful death, etc.

I'm helping a family of a very nice lady who recently passed away due to a medical error by a doctor involving an accidentally cut uterus and colon. She went into the hospital for a routine gynecologic procedure called a D & C. The surgeon used a very frequently relied upon device called a hysteroscope, and during the procedure the doctor perforated this lady's bowels with the instrument.
Unfortunately, the physician did not realize she had perforated her patient's bowel and sent her home. Very shortly thereafter, she became terribly ill and ultimately died due to septic shock caused by the cut or perforated bowel.
cut, perforated, bowel, colon, ureter, injury, injuries, accident

cut, perforated, bowel, colon, ureter, injury, injuries, accident

This unfortunate medical error caused her wrongful death and demonstrates how dangerous cutting someone's bowel and not realizing you have done it is in a medical setting. I continue to be amazed at the frequency with which surgeons cut and perforate these body parts, when they are actually trying to cut other body parts. These doctors are trained to only cut the anatomy intended and they are trained to carefully examine the surrounding body parts to assure that they have not accidentally cut the ureter or bowel. So, how do these cut or perforated bowel cases occur constantly at hospitals and outpatient surgery centers? It's a good question without a definitive answer.
Gynecologic surgeons inflict injuries on patients' ureters and other organs such as bowels and bladders during supposedly routine procedures and don't realize they have done it. In fact, the medical error case I'm working on now is the fourth cut or severed ureter medical malpractice case our personal injury law firm has resolved in the last 12 months for patients who suffered sepsis and septic shock and serious complications following the medical procedures. I just scratch my head because these are well-known complications that could have been prevented.
Our law firm has written extensively about victims of cut, severed or perforated ureters and bowels, and for further information read one of these articles:
Cut or Perforated Bowel and Colon in Hysterectomy -- Surgical Errors
Perforated Bowel: A Preventable Surgical Mistake

Some of the Common Questions on This Topic
What is a Perforated Bowel?
A perforated bowel means that the bowel has been cut or slit open. If this is unintended, it is a potentially life-threatening medical surgical error and may require corrective surgery to wash out the abdomen due to infection and risk of septic shock.
How is a Perforated Bowel Treated?
Due to the serious complications of a cut, severed or perforated bowel, surgeons may be required to connect a colostomy bag that is positioned outside of the patient's body. Treatment of a perforated bowel also requires management of the infection that occurs from the cut bowel, known as sepsis.
What Is a Perforated Colon?
This is a cut, severed or nicked bowel that often requires surgical repair due to the medical mistake that is not intended from a routine surgery. A patient with a perforated colon can present with symptoms such as bowel obstruction, pain with fever or chills, and a wide array of abnormal symptoms.
The serious health effects of a perforated bowel are that the opening in the stomach or intestine allows food, stool, and other substances to leak into your stomach cavity causing peritonitis (i.e. inflammation of the abdomen), according to freemd.com. The side effects may include severe nausea, fever, dehydration, etc. If you don't 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 cases a hysterectomy. In any procedure where a surgeon is using a scalpel on your internal organs, a perforation or nick can occur.
This is why you need to be prepared, both before and after the surgery. Ask the surgeon how many procedures they've performed in the past. If you do not 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 it's discovered that the doctor or surgeon made a medical mistake and cut your bowel, or intestine, you should seek the advice of a medical malpractice attorney. Our firm has represented victims who have suffered very serious complications 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. In addtion, take a moment to watch this video describing how our firm was recognized as one of the best injury law firms in Virginia.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have extensive experience handling medical malpractice and doctor mistake cases. Please take a few moments to review our medical malpractice case results. We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia, including Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News and Suffolk, VA, if you've been seriously hurt by the carelessness of a doctor, surgeon, nurse or pharmacist.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been recognized as among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Also, Rick and Jim have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010. Fewer than 5 percent of lawyers are chosen for this professional honor.

Members of our VA personal injury law firm have also been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our VA medical malpractice firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

We offer free special reports on the Top 10 Tips from a Medical Malpractice Insider and the top five surgical errors you must know about.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer 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 so we can return your call.

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Routine Women’s Medical Procedures Carry Major Risks of Death and Life-Threatening Sepsis From Cut or Perforated Ureters, Bowels and Colons