Bile Duct Injuries

When a doctor cuts the common bile duct, bile leaks into the stomach. This could lead to serious injury and death. Bile duct injuries are often seen after gallbladder removal surgeries.

The gallbladder is a small organ that collects and releases bile produced by the liver. Bile breaks down fats to be later absorbed into the digestive track. Bile must travel through bile ducts to reach the small intestine.

Gallstones, small and hard crystallized bits of cholesterol and bile salts, can form in the gallbladder or in the bile duct and block the flow of bile to the intestinal track. This causes the gallbladder to swell and results in excruciating abdominal pain. There commended method to relieve this severe pain is to undergo gall bladder removal surgery.

The most frequent reason for injury to the common bile duct in gallbladder removal surgery is that the surgeon misidentifies the common bile duct as the cystic duct. So, instead of cutting where the surgeon is supposed to, at the cystic duct, the surgeon instead cuts the common bile duct.

A doctor should not be cutting the bile duct by any means, but by cutting and failing to secure the common bile duct is where more medical malpractice lawsuits come in. When the common bile duct is compromised, there are often no immediate symptoms.

If the bile duct is completely cut, bile is invariably going to leak into the stomach, causing serious and sometimes fatal complication. Often, even in less severe cases, the compromised bile duct needs to be repaired, requiring another surgery, an extended hospital stay, and thousands of dollars in unnecessary medical bills.

Injuries Resulting from Severed Bile Duct

If a surgeon severs a bile duct during surgery, a patient can experience excruciating pain and other various medical conditions including, but not limited to:

·   Wrongful death

·   Bile Peritonitis – bile leaking into and infecting the abdomen that can lead to organ failure and even death

·   Cholangitis – inflammation of the bile duct that can be life threatening if not treated immediately

·   Jaundice – yellowing of the skin

·   Pancreatitis – inflammation of the pancreas

The patient who experiences bile duct injury will commonly experience yellowing of the skin (jaundice), fever, chills, and abdominal pain. The patient’s condition of course worsens without timely recognition and proper repair of the injury. Even after bile duct reconstruction and repair, a patient may still be left with significant and permanent gastrointestinal problems and may develop chronic problems like strictures or even life-threatening conditions.

Sometimes, repair of an injury to the common bile duct during the procedure is a simple reconstruction of the duct. But the doctor has to see the symptoms of a bile leak after gallbladder surgery. If the surgeon negligently or willfully ignores the injury and does not see the common bile duct has been compromised, the injury might not bed is covered until real damage has been done.

Delayed Medical Treatment

Once a bile duct is severed, the clock is ticking. A surgeon’s failure to promptly correct said injury endangers the patient’s well-being. A patient can suffer an untimely death is a severed bile duct is left untreated for an extensive period of time.

Filing a Claim or Lawsuit

If you or a family member have suffered from a bile duct injury, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact Bonner Law at mbonner@bonner-law.com orcall at 1-800-4MEDMAL for a free consultation. Mr. Bonner is an attorney with over 32 years or experience in personal injury litigation.