Surgical standards in Ireland are very high, but surgery can still go wrong, leaving a patient injured or, in the most serious cases, dying. While most surgeons now work within a specialist area, certain issues are common to all surgical cases. We act in medical negligence claims arising from general surgical errors.
When general surgery goes wrong
Despite the standard of surgery in Ireland being very high and the fact that there are certain risks associated with it, surgery can go wrong resulting in a patient being injured or even dying (see Fatal Injury Claims). Most surgeons have a specialist area these days making generalisations on this subject difficult. However, there are certain issues that are common to all surgical cases.
The most frequent causes of claims for surgical errors are a lack of informed consent, misdiagnosis or delay in diagnosis resulting in delayed surgery, inadvertent lacerations of adjacent anatomy or organs during the procedure, failure to recognise post-operative bleeding and/or poor post-operative care.
Informed consent before surgery
Before performing any surgery, all surgeons must have the patient's agreement to have the surgery done except in emergency situations. In order for consent to be valid, a patient must be advised of and understand all the known associated risks and possible adverse outcomes before agreeing to undergo the procedure. A medical negligence claim may arise in circumstances where a patient has undergone a surgical procedure without being fully informed of the risks associated with the surgery.
Cases we have successfully settled
Our firm has been successful in numerous claims arising from general surgical errors. See some cases where we have successfully settled claims relating to surgical errors:
- Settlement of €375,000 in Informed Consent case
- Settlement of €215,000 for mistreatment of shoulder injury.
- Settlement of €4.7 million for woman for serious surgical errors.
- Action for Wrongful Death Following Thoracotomy For Herniated Bowel
- Medical Negligence Action for Perforation of Bile Duct During Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
- Michael Boylan Acted for Family Who Settle Action over Hospital Death
- Sinnott case
- Solicitors secure substantial six figure settlement for the family of man who died following admission to hospital with severe nosebleed
- Settlement of €325,000 for woman who suffered undiagnosed appendicitis and subsequent rupture
- €140,000 on behalf of a woman who suffered severe scarring following surgery to remove sweat glands
- €750,000 on behalf of woman who suffered an anastomotic leak following bowel surgery in a teaching hospital
- €475,000.00 Settlement for Bladder Perforation Injury resulting in Fistula and Permanent Stoma
- Solicitors settle case involving perforation of the colon
- €95,000 damages for perforation to colon following colonoscopy
- Victory for Plaintiff whose bladder was perforated during a routine hysterectomy
- We secured €925,000 on behalf of Dublin woman who required a left leg amputation as a result of a failure to diagnose a Malignant Tumour
