Appendix Removal Potential Medical Malpractice

Appendicitis, the end result of an inflamed and diseased appendix, is referred to as a surgical disease, as it usually requires the removal of the organ from the body. Often it becomes irritated and enlarged and at that point becomes what doctors classify as a medical emergency. Removal of this organ is considered an emergency because if it bursts and spills out toxic contents into the system, the problem becomes even worse, if not life threatening.

The interesting thing about the appendix is that no matter what stage the appendicitis is at, surgeons still recommend its removal as soon as possible. Most of these operations are safe and go as planned; however, there is the possibility of developing post-operative complications thanks to surgical malpractice. In some instances, there have even been cases cited where a patient had an unnecessary appendectomy of a healthy appendix.

The more advanced the infection of this organ, the more difficult and risky the surgery. In these cases, patients have been known to develop either an abscess or sepsis after surgery. Sepsis is a dangerous condition that presents as a whole-body inflammatory state, also called a systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

These possible complications of performing surgery if an appendix is too diseased, is usually one of the things that prompts physicians to operate early and avoid the problem of advanced appendicitis. This isn't to say that all cases of appendicitis are correctly diagnosed in the first place, as it tends to mimic many other illnesses and is thus hard to correctly diagnose. There are also cases of appendicitis patients who have no symptoms and no one knows that until the disease is seriously advanced.

Unfortunately there are still no reliable medical tests these days that are totally accurate in diagnosing appendicitis, and for this reason, if the surgeon suspects a diseased appendix; their first instinct is to remove it before problems develop. Yes, it's a risk to remove a healthy organ, however given the alternatives most surgeons would err on the side of caution.

Removing an appendix in young children is another proposition altogether and surgical statistics indicate at least 9% of children who have an appendectomy had a healthy appendix. One of the reasons children's appendixes tend to be healthy when removed is due to the fact that it's a lot more difficult to diagnose appendicitis in kids.

If you feel you are the victim of medical malpractice, contact a highly qualified medical malpractice attorney and discuss your case. The attorney will be able to explain your rights and assess your case.

Christopher Mellino is a Cleveland Malpractice Lawyer specializing in Cleveland Medical Malpractice cases in Ohio. To learn more, visit Christophermellino.com.