Bowel Perforations Caused by New York Medical Malpractice

Victims of bowel perforations are in serious medical trouble.  This is because this injury is life-threatening and likely to result in a significant infection.  Undiagnosed or misdiagnosed infections can become septic.  Sepsis is a very serious and blood infection which is spread throughout the body.  This can result in septic shock which can literally stop all organs in a person’s body, causing multiple organ failure.  When this happens the probability of wrongful death if very high.  If New York medical malpractice caused the bowel perforation, victims may have a claim.

A bowel perforation can occur due to New York medical malpractice during a colonoscopy.  This is a very important preventative procedure for colon cancer or rectal cancer.  It is relatively safe too.  However, there is the risk that a surgeon will injure the bowel.  This can be caused by the scope itself, which is a long instrument which is used to illuminate and record the insides of a patient’s bowel.  The scope has “bumpers” and protectors on it, which avoid damaging the bowel.  But it is not perfect and the bowel is not impenetrable.  

When a surgeon pushes too hard or improperly manipulates the scope, it can damage or perforate the bowel.  This means that the damage can cause leaking offload into the abdominal cavity.  This is why infections are a common complication.  When a healthcare provider fails to identify the injury to the bowel, the leak is allowed to continue and the infection allowed to fester. 

This is why a patient who is suffering any ill-effects of a colonoscopy should be cognizant of the signs of infection.  Even though a colonoscopy is generally safe, it can result in significant New York medical malpractice which causes an infection.

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