Gastric Bypass Surgical Error Malpractice
What You Must Know As A Victim of Gastric Bypass Malpractice In Maryland, DC or Virginia
Gastric Bypass surgery accounts for nearly 80% of bariatric surgeries in the United States alone. In this day and age of ‘thin is in’, gastric bypass surgery has gained in popularity along with the endorsement of celebrities who have undergone the procedure. With obesity being recognized as a major health and social issue, its ramifications are now being seen in the medical profession.
It has been estimated that one in five American’s are obese, and out of these one in twenty is classified as morbidly obese. Morbidly obese is defined as being approximately 100 lbs. overweight or having a Body Mass index of around 40 or above.
Needless to say, with the popularity of so many health conscious television programs and benefits being touted so strongly, the pressure to be thin is greater than ever. However, in this quest to be thin how many people’s lives are endangered by over-eager physicians and the social stigma of being overweight.
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RGB)
The most common type of gastric bypass surgery. A small pouch is created by stapling part of the stomach together or by placing a vertical band on the stomach, thus drastically decreasing the size of the stomach. A Y-shaped section of the small intestine is then attached to the pouch t allow food to bypass the duodenum as well as the first portion of the jejunum.
This procedure caused reduced calorie and nutrient absorption. A laparoscope is used to perform this procedure in most people.
Extensive gastric bypass (biliopancreatic diversion)
This is a more complicated operation in that the lower portion of the stomach is removed. The remaining small pouch is connected directly to the final segment of the small intestine, thus completely bypassing both the duodenum and jejunum. While this procedure successfully promotes weight loss, it is not used as widely because the risk for nutritional deficiency is so high.
There are two ways to perform the procedures, open and laparoscopic. Open surgery involves the surgeon creating a single incision to open the abdomen for the operation. Generally, it is 4 1/2 to 6 inches for women, and 5 1/2 to 7 inches for men. In laparoscopic surgery, multiple small incisions are made in the abdomen wall and a small camera is inserted in one hole and small surgical instruments in the other holes. The surgery is viewed on a separate video monitor.
Gastric bypass surgery as a tool for weight loss should only be used in extreme cases. When a morbidly obese patient has unsuccessfully attempted other methods of weight loss they often resort to gastric bypass as a last resort. In their quest to end their weight loss struggle many patients are tempted by the advertising of less than qualified surgeons who launch sophisticated advertising campaigns attempting to lure new patients with their promises of quick and often massive weight loss.
While surgery is generally recommended as a last resort for the morbidly obese, it is the morbidly obese who are at the greatest risk in this procedure, mostly due to the added risk for their already struggling heart to go thru surgery. A responsible bariatric surgeon will often require psychological screening of gastric bypass patients, making sure that they will be able to deal with the huge lifestyle change this procedure requires the procedure to be effective.
According to the American Medical Association, the risk of serious injury is greatly affected by the lack of experience in performing this surgery. Alarmingly, the death rate from gastric bypass surgery is 300% higher for surgeons who have performed less than 100 gastric bypass surgeries as compared with those surgeons who have performed over 100.
Some of the most common causes for malpractice in gastric bypass surgery are:
- Inexperience of the surgeon performing the procedure
- Failure on the surgeon’s part to properly pre-qualify the patient for the procedure
- Failure to properly treat leakage of gastric fluid
- Failure to recognize, diagnose or properly treat pulmonary embolism
- Failure to timely and properly treat gastric bleed
If you or a loved one has suffered from gastric bypass surgery error, call a Gastric Bypass Malpractice lawyer at Greenberg & Bederman at 301-589-2200 or toll free 800-800-1144 or submit our online form for a free legal consultation below.
The initial malpractice consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to handle your cerebral palsy or malpractice case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary recovery of funds. A lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations, so please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.
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