Laparoscopy (Keyhole) Surgery Compensation Claims

What is Keyhole Surgery?

A keyhole surgery is a medical procedure conducted using a laparoscope – a tiny fibre-optic instrument usually inserted through the stomach. It allows a medical professional get a detailed view of the vital internal organs, such as the reproductive organs and gall bladder. A laparoscope can be used for diagnosing a condition or the procedure itself.

For the surgical procedure, the surgeon inserts tiny cutting tools into the body and performs the surgery while viewing the operation on a screen where images are displayed with the laparoscope.

What Complications Can Occur with Keyhole Surgery?

The risk of something going wrong with keyhole surgery is very small, and it is usually performed by a skilled professional. However, as is the case with any medical procedure, surgical mistakes can happen. There are a number of risk factors associated with the procedure.

First, as noted earlier, the process involves making small incisions in the skin to insert the fibre-optic instrument; this step is the riskiest as the insertion is done without visual access to the body’s organs. Visual access is only gotten after the instrument is inserted by the surgeon; this increases the risk of physical damage, particularly if the surgeon does not pay heed to the body’s typical anatomy. Physical damage here could be mild or severe.

Things can also go wrong during the surgical procedure, which could be as a result of wrong judgement, with serious and sometimes fatal outcomes. Minor complications include feeling nauseous, bruising and bleeding around the incision area as well as infection of the wound or body organs.

More serious complications include blood clot in a vein, entry of gas bubbles into the veins or arteries, allergic reaction to anaesthesia, infection of internal and external wounds, and damage to a visceral organ (in extreme cases, complete loss of organ function is possible).

A third risk associated with keyhole surgery is when it is done for diagnostic or investigative purposes. Despite inserting the ‘camera’ for detailed view of the body system, a surgeon can still misdiagnose or even completely miss a condition. A missed or incorrect diagnosis can result in delayed treatment of a condition, with the condition progressing and becoming worse or even life-threatening.

When complications are extreme, the patient may require corrective surgery to either eliminate or minimize the damage.

What is Surgical Negligence?

This is a term that describes a situation where a surgeon or other health professionals make mistakes during a surgical procedure, causing you harm. As a patient, you are entitled to receive surgical care that meets certain standards; if Surgical Negligence are made, you may be able to make a compensation claim.

Medical Negligence During a Keyhole Surgery

While not all complications are avoidable, some are due to negligence on the part of a medical professional. Here are a few ways a surgeon or medical staff may act negligently while during a keyhole surgery:

• Failing to react promptly

If a medical professional reacts in a timely manner, injuries such as organ perforation may not cause serious damage to the patient.

• Failing to request specialist support

Since many older surgeons did not receive formal training when it comes to keyhole surgery and laparoscopy, they may not possess the experience required to carry out a safe operation via this modern type of surgery. Failing to call for specialist help in this case may be deemed surgery negligence.

• Failing to properly monitor a patient

If a blood vessel is ruptured and there is hemorrhage, the patient may not show signs of blood loss until hours after the surgical procedure. Bleeding after an operation is normal, so if a health professional fails to properly monitor the patient post-surgery, he or she may not notice that there is abnormal blood loss.

• Failing to provide antibiotics

After an operation, a patient is usually vulnerable to infections. As a result, it is important that a health professional prescribes antibiotics that can prevent infections. However, even if a antibiotics are provided, a doctor may still be deemed negligent if he or she fails to prescribe them for a period that is long enough for infections to be kept at bay.

Are you Entitled to a Keyhole Surgery Compensation Claim?

If you have suffered problems as a result of keyhole surgery negligence, you may be entitled to a keyhole surgery compensation claim, whether this is due to a faulty procedure or faulty diagnosis.

Medical professionals owe their patients a duty of care; a health professional is considered liable if they fail in this regard. If you think you or your loved one has suffered avoidable harm either due to failure to correctly diagnose a condition or as a result of complications during or after a keyhole surgery, you may be entitled to compensation for the pain and suffering you have incurred.

The first step to making medical negligence claims for keyhole surgery is to contact a medical negligence solicitor to discuss details of events surrounding your case. If you have valid grounds for a claim and reasonable chance of success, our solicitors will walk you through the claims process to help you secure maximum compensation. They will build an undeniable case on your behalf and, if it goes to trial, represent you without asking that you pay legal fees until your claim is successful.

Can I Make a Claim on Behalf of a Loved One Who Has Passed Away Due to Surgery Negligence?

Yes. If it is clear that the medical professional acted negligently during the operation, and this has led to the death of a loved one, you may be able to make a claim for compensation on their behalf. We offer a free, no obligation initial consultation for those who have suffered as a result of surgical negligence; get in touch with our medical negligence solicitors to find out whether you can make a claim.

How Long Do I Have to Make a Claim?

Generally, there is a 3-year time limit which begins from the date of the negligent treatment or the date you became aware that you suffered an injury due to medical negligence. However, a few exceptions apply. If you believe you may have a claim, it is important that you seek legal advice from a specialist as soon as possible. Following the review of your case, our solicitors will let you know whether you can still make a claim.

No Win No Fee Keyhole Surgery Negligence Claims

At Medical Negligence Direct, most of the claims we handle are funded via a No Win No Fee agreement. Under this arrangement, you are protected against the financial risks associated with making a claim, and are able to get expert legal support at no cost to you. Regardless of their financial capacity, a No Win No Fee agreement makes it possible for medical negligence victims to seek justice. If your case is unsuccessful, you will not pay any legal fees; you only pay a success fee (a percentage of your compensation) if your claim is successful.

If we believe you have valid grounds for a keyhole surgery compensation claim, we will explain everything you need to know about the process in simple and plain English. Our medical negligence solicitors will let you know how the claims process works and the steps you can take to ensure a successful claim.

Why Choose Medical Negligence Direct?

The panel of specialist solicitors we work with not only possess many years’ experience in helping victims of medical negligence secure compensation, they also do it with utmost sensitivity. The thought of surgery can be overwhelming, no matter how minimal the risks are. If things eventually go wrong, you may feel vulnerable, and even embarrassed. At this difficult time, you need all the support you can get to navigate the pain and psychological effects of negligent treatment.

From a legal point of view, our solicitors understand how complex it can be to prove cases of surgery negligence. We will handle your claim with great care and professionalism, while working with medical experts to guarantee the best outcome.

Get in touch with us today for a free, no obligation consultation to help you find out whether you can make a keyhole surgery compensation claim.