The United Kingdom is now the obesity capital of Europe with every magazine and newspaper having at least one story everyday about the way that our society now looks upon food and being overweight. One of the hot topics in this area is that of Gastric band surgery, especially with the high profile case of Fern Britton and her fast weight loss because of the surgery.
Whether your opinion on the surgery is positive or negative, it seems that it is time to accept that people will now start to turn away from the traditional way of losing weight (dieting and exercise) and instead turn to the help of an operating table, a surgeon, and the knife.
Before I can discuss the main problems caused by negligence in this area it is necessary for me to explain how the procedure works… A silicone band is placed around the stomach to limit the amount of food that the stomach can take – obviously meaning that you do not eat as much. As it is such an invasive procedure it is important that you always get an experienced surgeon to perform the operation. Also, not everyone is eligible to have the surgery and therefore you should ensure you are. Complication from negligence in this area can ultimately lead to death and therefore any “abnormal” feeling following the surgery should be reported as soon as possible.
So what are these complications?
Leakage of gastric fluid into the abdominal cavity – Causing an infection that is in the medical world referred to as “peritonitis”. This is the most severe and life threatening complication from this procedure. It is inflammation of the inner wall of the abdomen and symptoms can range from a fever to extreme pain. This can be caused by the negligence of surgical staff in performing the surgery in that the medical staff do not adequately ensure the stomach and intestines are closed and reattached properly, resulting in this “leak”.
Intestinal blockages – This can lead to something called “aspiration” where stomach contents end up in the lungs – horrendous!
Pulmonary embolism – This can occur due to blood vessel damage caused by “rough” surgery.
Incision hernia – This can be caused when the incision made for the surgery does not heal well. This can be because of circumstances out of anyone’s control, but can be caused by a surgical failures such as “bad stapling” poor cleaning and just overall negligence and improper care when closing the wound up.
Any of the above will require urgent and invasive correction procedures and therefore result in further pain, suffering and cost. Therefore, if you wish to proceed with a case for medical negligence compensation then do not hesitate to contact us and discuss the process further. Give our claims team a call on 0800 634 7575 for free, expert advice on making a claim for compensation.
We can advise on the process, who you would be claiming against, and ultimately get things resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible.
