Surgery can be performed scheduled or emergency depending on the circumstances of presentation. If negligence or mistakes are made in general surgery it can have very serious consequences. The increase in laparoscopy or keyhole surgery has led to an increase in general surgery claims. Often the insertion of the laparoscope which involves making a small incision into the skin is carried out without visual sight of the body’s organs which is only achieved after the instrument is inserted. If there is error in the insertion injury can occur from mild to severe.  Other mistakes in general surgery can arise if medical instruments are accidently let inside the patient and we have seen cases of gauze dressing being left behind. In addition we are seeing an increase in medical injury arising from negligently performed cosmetic surgery.

Our general surgery claims experience

We have handled many general surgery claims over the years. One case we were recently involved in concerned the perforation or tearing of a patient’s bile duct during gallbladder surgery which left our client with life-altering injuries as efforts to reconstruct the bile duct were not entirely successful.

We have represented many people over the years who have been harmed as a consequence of negligently performed general surgery. The more common types we have seen include:

• leaving surgical instruments including gauze dressing or swabs in the body following surgery
• severing vital blood vessels or slicing nerves which may be permanent
• operating surgery on the wrong body part. The HSE released figures to say that over 60 cases of surgeons mistakenly operating on the wrong side or wrong part of patients’ bodies between 2017 and 2020 occurred in public hospitals
• removal of healthy tissue or organs
• performing surgery that is completely unnecessary due to misdiagnosis error or indeed confusion surrounding the medical notes or x-rays etc.

If you or a loved one have been affected by surgery negligence, our medical negligence solicitors can help you pursue a claim for compensation. It is important you seek advice as soon as possible to protect your legal rights. We believe in putting you our client first and we are committed to achieving the best result possible while all the time remaining sensitive to your needs. Please feel free to reach out to us below and will be pleased to discuss your case and offer no obligation advice.

To contact one of our surgery claims solicitors please call 0818 888 555 or WhatsApp/call 087 398 7386 or complete our online enquiry form