Gastroenterology

Conditions such as gastric ulcers, stomach cancer, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease will all come under the responsibility of a gastroenterologist and in most cases patients will be treated satisfactorily. Sometimes, however, where a gastroenterologist fails to diagnose or treat a digestive disease correctly there may be a claim for compensation for medical negligence.

Bowel injury

Bowel injury may be a risk or complication of having, in particular, gynaecological or abdominal surgery.  Sometimes, however, it may be caused due to negligence either during or after an operation.

Sometimes the bowel can be damaged during surgery as a result of poor surgical technique or there may be a delay in diagnosing that the bowel has been damaged in the post-operative period.

It is important that anyone who is caring for a patient who has had surgery that carries a risk of bowel injury, is aware of the symptoms of bowel damage.  They should be able to identify when emergency action is necessary and if further urgent surgery is required.  Without surgical intervention a damaged or leaking bowel could lead to a life threatening condition like septicaemia.  It could also result in long-term complications for the patient in the form of bowel incontinence or a permanent change of bowel habit.  This can be both physically and psychologically disabling.

The long-term effect of bowel injury can also impact on a patient’s personal and social life as well as their future employment prospects and earning potential.

If you have concerns about how your bowel was injured or in how the bowel injury was treated and you wish to consider investigating a claim for medical negligence, you should seek specialist legal advice from one of our solicitors as soon as possible.