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Ohio Lack of Diagnosis of a Bowel Leak Lawyers
Experienced advocacy for patients when medical malpractice affects their bodily functions
At Crandall & Pera Law, our lawyers understand why bowel incontinence and bowel perforations happen. We’re skilled at showing how surgeons and doctors treating diverticulitis, gallbladder disease, bowel obstructions, and other abdominal disorders should have prevented bowel leaks from occurring. Our Ohio failure to diagnose bowel leak lawyers work with GI doctors to show when your condition should have been anticipated or monitored – and what diagnostic tests should have been used. We’ve helped many medical malpractice victims obtain just compensation when doctors fail to make a timely and proper diagnosis.
These are two of our substantial recoveries:
- $2.5 Million. We obtained the amount in a claim against a Kentucky medical center. Our client’s bowel perforation wasn’t timely diagnosed (for weeks), causing him to become septic and critically ill. A correct diagnosis was made at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Tragically, the delayed diagnosis was fatal. We hired multiple well-known medical experts in the fields of radiology, gastroenterology, general surgery, economic analysis, and general pathology. We were able to negotiate a $2.5 million settlement for his widow and son.
- $1.2 Million Settlement. We obtained this amount when a mistake by a doctor during a routine partial hysterectomy left our client with scar tissue and remnants of a fallopian tube inside of her. During a subsequent procedure to remove the rest of her fallopian tube, the doctor nicked her bowel. The perforated bowel went undetectedfor four days, during which time Victoria suffered pain, fever, tachycardia, hypotension, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). She then became septic. It had taken more than three full days for anyone to even order an abdominal CT scan.
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What is bowel/fecal incontinence?
Bowel (fecal) incontinence is the inability to control one’s bowels. “Liquid or solid stool (poop) leaks out when you don’t want it to. Fecal incontinence may be as mild as having a little leakage when you pass gas or as severe as unintentionally passing solid stools.” Bowel incontinence can occur if the pelvic floor, rectum, anus, and nerves aren’t working properly.
Bowel incontinence includes urge incontinence (you can’t get to the toilet quickly enough) and passive incontinence (you have a movement without recognizing it – normally due to a lack of communication between the bowel nerves and muscles).
What causes bowel incontinence in Ohio?
Bowel/fecal incontinence is fairly common. Some of the common causes that your family doctor, ER doctor, or other care physicians should examine include diarrhea, constipation, and muscle damage (which may occur during a vaginal delivery, hemorrhoid surgery, or other medical procedures).
Other causes include nerve damage, the inability of your rectum to stretch, and pelvic organ prolapse. Age and gender are risk factors. Other “conditions that cause muscle or nerve damage or tissue scarring can increase your risk of fecal incontinence” include Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, proctitis, and stroke.
Possible complications from bowel leakage due to fecal incontinence include ulcers, itching, burning, and pain. For many patients, the embarrassment and anxiety of bowel incontinence can cause emotional damage.
How should doctors diagnose fecal incontinence?
Normally, a gastroenterologist or a colorectal surgeon will diagnose bowel incontinence through:
- A rectal exam
- An anorectal manometry
- A balloon expulsion test
- MRI or endorectal ultrasound
- A pudendal nerve terminal motor latency test:
- Anal sphincter electromyography (EMG)
- Defecography
- Endoscopy
A blood test or a stool test can check infection-causing bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
The treatments for fecal incontinence include dietary changes to prevent diarrhea and constipation, exercise, bowel training, Kegel exercises (to strengthen the pelvic muscles), and biofeedback. Different medications can help.
In some cases, surgery may be required. Surgeries for bowel incontinence include sphincteroplasty, artificial anal sphincter, sacral nerve stimulation, antegrade colonic enema (ACE) surgery, and a colostomy (a pouch that attaches to your abdomen and collects stool).
What is bowel perforation?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a gastrointestinal perforation requires immediate medical care. With prompt medical treatment, most people make a full recovery. When the diagnosis is delayed, the consequences can be catastrophic or fatal.
A gastrointestinal perforation is a hole in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Your GI tract is a series of hollow organs that move food and liquids through your body. These organs help digest the things you eat and drink and absorb nutrients. They include your:
- Esophagus: Connects your mouth and stomach.
- Stomach: Digests food.
- Small intestine: Continues digestion and absorbs nutrients.
- Large intestine (bowel or colon): Turns undigested food into stool.
A perforation of the large intestine (also called a bowel perforation) can cause stool to leak into your abdomen. “A hole in your stomach or small intestine can leak food or digestive fluids into your abdomen.”
Without emergency medical prompt treatment, gastrointestinal or bowel perforation can cause:
- Internal bleeding/blood loss
- Peritonitis, which is inflammation of the inner abdominal wall lining.
- Permanent GI tract damage
- Sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to an infection
What causes a perforated bowel in Ohio?
There are many causes of GI perforation. Our Ohio failure to diagnose bowel leaks work with doctors who understand these causes, which include:
- Wounds from car accidents
- Accidentally swallowing harmful objects like magnets or corrosive chemicals
- Knife or gunshot wounds
- Complications from surgery
- Certain medical conditions can also cause gastrointestinal or bowel perforation.
The symptoms of a GI or bowel perforation include severe cramping or abdominal pain, fever/chills, bloating, nausea and vomiting, and pain or tenderness of the abdomen.
How should doctors diagnose bowel perforation?
The diagnosis of a GI/bowel perforation includes:
- A physical examination.
- An oral examination which includes a family history of inflammatory bowel disease, cancers, and other health issues.
- Vital signs testing which includes a test of a patient’s blood pressure, pulse, heart rate, body temperature, and respiration/breathing rate.
- Blood tests – to look for infections and “assess kidney and liver function.”
- A colonoscopy
- X-rays are needed to show if there is air in the abdomen, which is a sign of a GI tract tear.
- A CT scan to help pinpoint the site of the perforation
- An upper endoscopy “provides views of the esophagus, stomach, and upper part of the small intestine.”
What are the treatments for bowel perforation in Ohio?
The treatments for a gastrointestinal/bowel perforation include:
Surgery may be required depending on the site and severity of the perforation. Surgical procedures include an endoscopic procedure (which uses a camera that is guided through your intestines, laparoscopic surgery (which uses a camera to see inside the abdomen), and traditional open surgery. The size of the incision is different with each type of procedure. A colostomy procedure may connect a bag to the abdomen to collect the stool. The need for the colostomy bag usually ends after you’ve healed, but some patients may need to use a colostomy bag permanently.
In some cases, after a proper diagnosis, the perforation can heal without surgery but with IV antibiotics.
The patients most likely to suffer from a bowel leak have usually undergone treatments for:
- Cancers that affect the digestive system
- Hernias
- Gallstones
- Appendicitis
- Infections
- Gallbladder disease
- Auto-immune diseases such as Crohn’s disease
- Diverticulitis
Who is responsible for medical malpractice involving bowel incontinence or a perforated bowel in Ohio?
You may have a medical malpractice claim if your healthcare providers failed to conduct a proper and timely diagnosis and/or if they failed to treat your incontinence or perforation properly, such as committing surgical errors.
At Crandall & Pera Law, our medical malpractice lawyers hold healthcare providers accountable for:
- The delayed diagnosis of a gastrointestinal condition
- Delays in the diagnosis and treatment of infections
- Improper endoscopic procedures
- The failure to recognize the signs and symptoms of bowel leakage or bowel perforation
- The failure to order the correct diagnostic tests
- The failure to take a proper oral history and conduct a proper physical examination
- The failure to read radiology reports and other diagnostic tests accurately.
- Communication mistakes among healthcare professionals.
Our Ohio failure to diagnose bowel leak attorneys file medical malpractice claims against all responsible parties, including:
- Family doctors
- ER doctors
- Gastroenterologists
- Surgeons
- Anesthesiologists
- Nurses
- Hospitals
- Radiologists
- Other healthcare professionals
Do you have an Ohio lawyer near me who can handle my bowel leak case?
Crandall & Pera Law represents patients and families in Ohio from our office at 850 Euclid Ave #1122, Cleveland, OH 44114. We also have offices in Cincinnati, Columbus, Chesterland and Chagrin Falls. If a bowel leak prevents you from coming to our office, we will meet with you or your loved one at your home or a healthcare facility. Our medical malpractice lawyers also discuss claims with clients by phone and through online conferences.
We understand how upsetting and worrisome bowel perforations are. We’re prepared to fight to obtain all the compensation you deserve.
Talk with our Ohio medical malpractice attorneys now
Delays in diagnosing bowel perforation can be fatal; and cause cancers, diseases, hernias, and other serious complications. Delays in diagnosing bowel incontinence can require surgery and can be traumatic. At Crandall & Pera Law, we’ve been fighting for injured patients and families for more than a combined 50 years. We’re here to fight for all the compensation you deserve, including medical bills, pain and suffering, lost income, scarring, and other damage. Call our Ohio failure to diagnose bowel leak lawyers today or complete our contact form to schedule a free consultation. We handle medical malpractice cases on a contingency fee basis.