Personal Injury Litigation

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• Medical Malpractice including Birth, Erb's Palsy, & Laparoscopic Injuries
• Machinery, Construction and Workplace Injuries
• Products Liability
• Pharmaceutical Litigation
• Toyota Accelerator Pedal Recall
• Other Personal Injury Cases
• Personal Injury Appellate Decisions

Laparoscopic

New York - New Jersey

Laparoscopic Gallbladder Surgery, also known as Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy, is a surgical procedure in which the gallbladder is removed through a small incision, using tiny equipment guided by a camera.  The procedure, invented in 1989, reduces recovery time and scarring associated with gallbladder removal.

Unfortunately, improperly performed laparoscopic surgeries can occur, with terrible consequences for the patient.  In many of these instances, a surgeon may mistakenly cut or nick the bile duct, allowing bile to seep into the abdominal cavity and poison the patient.  This is often due to the inexperience of the surgeon or his or her inability to properly identify the very small, thin ducts that need to be ligated.  Injuries suffered during this surgery may be the result of some form of medical malpractice.

Trief & Olk has extensive experience representing clients whose surgeons have cut the wrong duct or committed other errors during laparoscopic gallbladder removal, resulting in a severed connection between the liver and the intestines. Here are some examples of laparoscopic gallbladder surgery medical malpractice claims litigated by Trief & Olk:

• Trief & Olk represented a woman who suffered from septic shock and infections after her common bile duct was transected during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy.  Even though the operative report showed no complications during the surgery and initial emergency room records downplayed the seriousness of the plaintiff’s post-operative condition, Trief & Olk were able to secure a settlement of multiple millions of dollars on behalf of the injured plaintiff.
• Trief & Olk represented a woman who underwent laparoscopic gallbladder removal resulting in a transected common bile duct and a nicked left hepatic duct.  The procedure was performed by a hospital resident without informing the plaintiff. To make matters worse, when repairing the severed common bile duct and left hepatic duct, the physicians performed inappropriate procedures, essentially guaranteeing that the patient would suffer additional medical complications. Other elements of follow-up care were also inadequate.  Trief & Olk were successfully able to secure a seven-figure settlement during trial for the plaintiff.
• A teenager underwent laparoscopic gallbladder surgery in Syracuse, New York, during which the inexperienced surgeon had difficulty identifying the various ducts.  As a result, the surgeon severed the patient’s common bile duct.  The common bile duct was re-connected once the error was identified, however the patient suffered dilation of the duct requiring it to be surgically re-opened.  The teenage client will have to undergo regular screenings and may need future surgery if the duct dilates again.  Just prior to trial, Trief & Olk were able to secure the client a settlement of over a half-million dollars.
• Trief & Olk represented a teacher in a medical malpractice lawsuit against a surgeon who negligently transected her common hepatic duct during gallbladder removal surgery. The client required bowel reconstruction surgery and was in the hospital for approximately one week. Trief & Olk successfully obtained a settlement for her of over a half-million dollars.

If you or someone you know has suffered injuries following a laparoscopic procedure, we may be able to achieve compensation for the injured party. Please contact our medical malpractice lawyers in New York or New Jersey to discuss your case.