Medical Verdicts

Was bladder laceration avoidable?


 

Clark County (Nev) District Court

During a vaginal hysterectomy, a 46-year-old patient suffered a bladder laceration.

Pulmonary embolism on CT She underwent surgical repair of her bladder and vaginal fistula, which aggravated her urinary incontinence.

In suing, the woman argued that the surgeon failed to properly preoperatively assess her uterus, which was 3 times the normal size and distorted by fibroids. As a result, the surgeon failed to correctly develop the surgical plane, which led to complications during the procedure.

The doctor maintained that bladder injury was a known risk of the procedure. Further, the physician alleged that the bladder injury was actually caused by the technician, who inadvertently pushed a retractor into the patient’s bladder.

  • The court awarded the woman $112,180 in compensatory damages.
The cases presented here were compiled by Lewis L. Laska, editor of Medical Malpractice Verdicts, Settlements & Experts. While there are instances when the available information is incomplete, these cases represent the types of clinical situations that typically result in litigation.

Recommended Reading

Coding for sacrospinous ligament fixation
MDedge ObGyn
Adhesions and ovarian excrescence
MDedge ObGyn
Sponge left in abdomen leads to pain, infertility
MDedge ObGyn
Did misread mammogram lead to mastectomy?
MDedge ObGyn
Depression, anxiety attributed to erroneous HIV diagnosis
MDedge ObGyn
Did excessive traction lead to brachial plexus injury?
MDedge ObGyn
Did insufficient dilation lead to cervical, uterine injuries?
MDedge ObGyn
Rupture attributed to delay in diagnosing ectopic pregnancy
MDedge ObGyn
Did delayed cesarean result in fetal demise?
MDedge ObGyn
Was hysterectomy the result of improper cesarean incision?
MDedge ObGyn