Case of Botched Gall Bladder Surgery Resolves for $750,000

Case Of Botched Gall Bladder Surgery Resolves for $750,000

Our client is a young girl who underwent a gall bladder surgery, also known as a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, due to inflammation of the gall bladder. The trouble occurred when the surgeon misidentified her anatomy and cut her common bile duct instead of her cystic duct when removing the gall bladder. Failing to recognize his mistake, he sewed her up and sent her home with bile leaking into her abdomen.

The young girl’s parents quickly brought her back to the hospital. By this time, she was very nauseous and vomiting. The fix for the improper cutting of the common bile duct is a much more complicated surgery, called a Roux-en-Y Hepaticojejunostomy. This is a surgery similar to a gastric bypass.

The surgeon and his attorney retained 6 experts including a surgeon from UCSF to argue that cutting the common bile duct during a gall bladder surgery is a “known risk” of the surgery and results from a “virtual illusion” that occurs during the surgery (ie, not the fault of the surgeon).

The case settled shortly before the arbitration hearing for $750,000. We wish our client the best of luck and health in her future.