While the vast majority of general surgical procedures, carried out in England and Wales, are safe
and successful, there are unfortunately times when medical professionals can get things wrong.

What can go wrong?

A common theme in the surgical negligence cases we see is that it has taken too long to operate in an emergency situation. This can lead to necessitating a lengthier, more complex operation and longer recovery time.

Examples of things that commonly go wrong and lead to a surgical negligence claim include the
following:

• Medics delaying surgery for appendicitis – this allows the appendix to perforate before
  removal which causes peritonitis causing the patient to become increasingly unwell.
• Sometimes during invasive surgery, another internal organ can be damaged. If this is a
  common risk of your particular procedure, your surgeon should have warned you about it
  and it should have been written on the consent form you signed before the operation took
  place.
• Occasionally something is left behind during a surgical procedure, like a swab, a needle or a
  guidewire. This can cause infection and can prevent the wound healing.
• A further example is “wrong site surgery”. This is when an invasive procedure is performed
  on the wrong patient or the wrong part of the body. Examples include removing the wrong
  kidney or replacing the wrong knee joint.

Types of claims
Our clinical negligence solicitors specialise in general surgery negligence and have extensive experience relating to the following claims:

• Bowel claims
• Abdomen claims
• Bile duct claims
• Gut claims
• Gall bladder claims
• Colon claims
• Liver claims
• Pancreas claims

General surgery may be performed either as an emergency or through the means of a scheduled
operation. Negligence or medical accidents can have devastating and sometimes fatal consequences
on patients. If you or a loved one has received unnecessary suffering as a result of an operation then
you may be entitled to compensation.

Get in touch

Where there has been a suspicion of substandard medical care, whether it be at an NHS facility,
private hospital or clinic, our team of experienced and sympathetic clinical negligence solicitors can
help support and guide you and your family through the investigation process.

To establish whether a claim is possible, please contact us by clicking here.