Failure To Diagnose Bowel Obstruction or Bowel Perforation

The digestive tract is the pathway that runs from the mouth to the anus, through which food is processed.  The bowel, commonly referred to as the large intestine or colon, is the end of the digestive tract.  Waste products from the digestive process are stored in the bowel until there is a bowel movement with stool (feces) leaving the body.

As a result of trauma, diet, surgery, or digestive disease, the bowel can become obstructed or blocked.  When that happens, food stops traveling through the digestive tract and can cause a bowel perforation.  The failure to diagnose a bowel obstruction or treat a bowel perforation can lead to sepsis and without corrective surgery and intravenous antibiotics, eventually, death. 

Common signs and symptoms of a bowel obstruction include:
  • abdominal pain;
  • vomiting;
  • inability to pass gas;
  • constipation;
  • vomiting;
  • bloating; and
  • diarrhea.
Common signs and symptoms of a bowel perforation include:
  • high fever;
  • nausea;
  • intense vomiting; and
  • intense abdominal pain (worse with movement).
In addition to an intestinal blockage, the bowel can be perforated during open or laparoscopic abdominal surgery, or cauterized during surgery leading to a hole that develops over the course of a few days.  Other potential causes for a bowel perforation include Crohn's disease and diverticulitis.

The trial lawyers at Bottar Law, PLLC, have decades of experience investigating, prosecuting and trying to verdict medical malpractice cases due to or arising out of the failure to diagnose a bowel obstruction or perforation.  If you have been diagnosed with a bowel perforation, you and your family may be entitled to compensation for lifelong health care, medical expenses, medical bills, loss of income, and pain and suffering. 

To discuss your case or concerns with an experienced Central New York medical malpractice and birth injury attorney, contact us now at (315) 422-3466, (800) 336-LAWS, or by e-mail at info@bottarleone.com.