Medical Malpractice 101: Hysterectomy Errors

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 600,000 women undergo a hysterectomy – the surgical procedure to remove a woman’s uterus or womb – each year. It is a common procedure, often performed on women with:

• Uterine, cervical or ovarian cancer
• Fibroids
• Uncontrollable or recurring vaginal bleeding
• Incurable endometriosis
• Prolapsed uteruses
• Chronic pelvic pain

When performed correctly, it may help prevent a serious medical condition from worsening. But all surgeries come with risks, even procedures that are done over and over again by licensed and experienced surgeons. When a poorly trained, inattentive or negligent doctor performs the procedure, however, it can have long-term effects on a woman’s body and her health.

Hysterectomy complications

Even the most practiced, competent doctor can make a mistake. Sometimes those mistakes are made because of negligence. Sometimes those mistakes are left untreated, because the medical personnel involved with the procedure failed to monitor the patient for risks correctly or effectively. Some of the more common risks associated with hysterectomies include:

• Perforated bowels. A bowel leak is extremely painful, and can cause infections to spread throughout the body. In the most tragic cases, a perforated bowel can causes sepsis to set in, which may necessitate the amputation of limbs, or cause the death of the patient.
• Bladder injuries. Bladder injuries can occur in vaginal and abdominal hysterectomies. Unless fixed, they can lead to incontinence and could spread infections.
• Vaginal vault granulation. After the cervix is removed, some patients experience scar tissue growth at the top of their vaginas. While the condition is not life-threatening, it can be painful and lead to post-op bleeding.
• Excessive bleeding. Excessive bleeding may occur inside or outside of the body. It can be the result of a poor suture job or a nicked vessel or artery. If the bleeding is not stopped quickly, a patient could suffer organ damage as a result.
• Organ failure. Though rare, renal failure, heart attacks and strokes can result when patients who are at risk are not monitored carefully and consistently, either during the procedure or afterwards.

Most women who undergo hysterectomies do so with few or no problems, but the results can be devastating when a healthcare provider is negligent in his or her care. For more information about surgical errors, we invite you to contact us today.