Medical malpractice due to surgical error.  The trial was in Middletown, Connecticut.

The surgeon failed to account for the patient’s known blood disorder prior to surgery, and this surgical error led to serious multiple complications from an otherwise common medical procedure.

The case history that led to medical malpractice.

The plaintiff suffered from a long standing illness.  That illness finally required her to have corrective surgery.  She suffered from diverticulitis, and diverticulosis.  Diverticulitis is an inflamation of the colon.  Diverticulitis causes pain, and also causes the colon to function poorly.  Diverticulosis of the colon is the formation of pouches in the colon wall without inflamtion or infection.  According to the plaintiff’s doctor, the time had come for bowel resection.  A bowel resection is the surgical removal of part of the bowel (also called the colon or large intestine).  In this case, the plan was to remove a section of her bowel that had been damaged by her diverticulities, and diverticulosis.  Her doctor advised her to have the bowel resection.  The plaintiff agreed to the medical procedure.

The standard of care required to surgeon to account for the plaintiff’s blood disorder (coagulopathy), and to prepare for the fact that her blood would coagulate aggressively during the surgery.

The standard of care for any surgical procedure requires the doctor to: (1) Know the plaintiff’s relevant medical history; and (2) to take appropriate steps based on that history when planning for surgery.  The doctor must know whether the patient has any other conditions or allergies that will be affected by the surgery, or that will affect the surgery itself.  For example, if someone is allergic to a certain medication, and other medications are available and equally effective, then the doctor should not give the patient the medication that the patient is allergic to.

The medical malpractice occurred when the surgeon failed to prepare the patient’s blood before the surgery by giving her fresh frozen plazma.

The plaintiff had a blood disorder that caused her blood to coagulate much more than normal.  This condition was known to the defendant as it was part of the plaintiff’s medical history.  The defendant doctor should have accounted for this blood coagulation disorder when he did the surgery.  The surgeon should have given the patient fresh frozen plazma before the surgery.  He did not, and the patient suffered serious injury including an abdominal hematoma, or blood pocket that led to an infection.

As a result of the medical malpractice, the plaintiff developed an abdominal hematoma that led to several serious other complications and additional surgeries.

The patient developed a severe abdominal hematoma.  She developed hematomas, hernias, fistulas, bowel obstructions and adhesions and required multiple abdominal surgeries including a temporary colostomy, and a surgery to reverse the colostomy.  As a result, she still has significant pain, and is unable to work.

This case went to trial.  It was tried in the complex litigation docket in Middletown, Connecticut.  This case was known a Smallridge v. Fabry.

If you have suffered from medical malpractice as a result of a surgical error or a surgical preparation error in Connecticut, call The Bartinik Law Firm, P.C. at 860-445-8521.

If you or a loved one has suffered from medical negligence and you want to sue, then call The Bartinik Law Firm, P.C., 100 Fort Hill Road, Groton, Connecticut at 860-445-8521 or toll free at 888-717-4211.