Gastrointestinal perforations are holes in the walls of the organs involved in the stomach and intestines. While many diseases and disorders can cause them to form, some Texas residents may develop gastrointestinal perforations after undergoing surgeries in their abdominal cavities. When a gastrointestinal perforation develops after a surgical procedure, the cause may be negligence committed on the part of the patient’s doctors, nurses and other operating staff.
Gastrointestinal perforations can have incredibly serious consequences. Patients generally experience symptoms when these complications happen, but these symptoms can be easily confused for other illnesses. For example, signs of gastrointestinal perforations can include nausea, fever and pain. These side effects are similar to stomach illnesses and even the common flu. A person may mistake their condition for something that may heal on its own and may choose not seek further medical help.
A perforation in the wall of an abdominal or intestinal organ can require emergency surgery. Emergency surgery can be painful, costly and can derail a patient’s road to recovery. It may lengthen their period of recovery over what was expected for their original, underlying condition, and may force them to endure more pain and suffering on the way back to health.
In the most devastating cases, perforations in the abdomen and intestines can go untreated and lead to sepsis. Sepsis is an infection in the blood of an affected patient and can cause death. Gastrointestinal perforations are serious and should be handled by medical professionals. If they are caused by mistakes made by doctors and other medical professionals, gastrointestinal perforations may serve as the bases for surgical error claims.