Philadelphia Gastric Bypass Malpractice Attorney
The decision to get gastric bypass surgery is not an easy one. This type of weight loss surgery can change lives, but it comes with serious risks and potential complications. Patients assume risks such as infection, blood clots, and pneumonia after gastric bypass surgery – not to mention risks during the surgery itself.
Yet patients do not assume risks that come with a negligent surgeon, hospital, or operating room staff. These risks are medical malpractice. If you’ve suffered harms related to gastric bypass malpractice, contact the Anapol Weiss medical malpractice attorneys as soon as possible.
Negligence-Related Issues During Gastric Bypass
Gastric bypass surgery alters the digestive system. It is the only surgery today that effectively treats morbid obesity in people for whom dieting and exercise have failed. During the procedure, the surgeon bypasses part of the stomach and small bowel. The surgeon then creates a small pouch in the stomach that serves as the “new” stomach. The surgeon may also remove part of the stomach. This surgery reduces the size of the stomach, thus limiting the amount the patient can eat. This allows the patient to lose weight, but it can also come with risks for nutritional deficiencies.
Every surgery has risks and potential complications that may arise. Yet a negligent, careless, or incompetent surgeon significantly increases the risks of negative outcomes, injuries, and even patient deaths. Surgeons and other operating room personnel may be guilty of many acts of negligence during gastric bypass surgeries, including:
- Recommending gastric bypass to an inappropriate candidate
- Improper planning
- Failure to warn of risks
- Malfunctioning equipment
- Anesthesia errors
- Inadequate communication
- Leaving tools in the body cavity
- Wrong-site or wrong-patient operations
- Incompetence
- Operating under the influence of drugs and alcohol
- Injuring nerves or blood vessels
Not every negative outcome after gastric bypass is a red flag for medical malpractice. However, if any of the above-mentioned errors occurred, or any other mistake resulting from negligence, you may have been the victim of malpractice. Signs of gastric bypass malpractice include leakage, which points to an incorrectly performed procedure. Failure to diagnose and treat leakage is also a form of medical malpractice.
Are You Eligible for Compensation?
If you’re suffering health defects or injuries from mistakes made during gastric bypass, medical bills are probably pouring in. You may not have the means to pay these bills, especially on top of missed time at work from your injuries. Traumatic errors such as anesthesia awareness or objects left in the body can cause emotional and psychological harms, while personal injuries may have left you temporarily or permanently disabled. Pursue recovery for all these damages and more with a medical malpractice lawsuit.
If the procedure simply didn’t work and you failed to lose weight, you may want to discuss your problem with doctors before contacting an attorney. If, however, you sustained serious injuries or unexpected health complications from your gastric bypass, come to our firm in Philadelphia. When in doubt, speak to an attorney. At Anapol Weiss we offer free consultations, so you have nothing to lose in a conversation with one of our experienced lead attorneys.
We’ll help you make sense of what happened to you before, during, or after your surgery, and we can tell you if we believe your case has merit as a medical malpractice lawsuit in Pennsylvania. Our team has 40-plus years of experience in recognizing medical malpractice.
Contact a Medical Malpractice Attorney Today
To find out if you have been the victim of medical malpractice, contact the lawyers at Anapol Weiss. Our compassionate team is also experienced and skilled. We specialize in this area of law and want to help you get to the bottom of what caused your harms.