Medical Malpractice

Transection of the Common Bile Duct During Laparoscopic Gallbladder Surgery

Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is a minimally invasive surgical technique in which the procedure is performed through small incisions in the abdomen, using a fiber-optic camera and specially designed surgical tools. There are many advantages to having the surgery performed in this fashion, including a shorter period of recuperation.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of the gallbladder anatomy involved, surgeons have a significant learning curve to become proficient in performing this procedure. A common mistake involves improperly identifying the common bile duct as the cystic duct and then cutting it. This can lead to many serious complications if not recognized and appropriately treated. Surgical repair takes great skill and must be done by surgeon experienced in this area.

In our case, the treating physician improperly cut the common bile duct. Once this was discovered, he then attempted the repair on his own, even though he had minimal experience in performing this type of repair surgery. The repair failed and our client had to have a second repair surgery by a specialist.

Our client went through a major ordeal and suffered significant medical expenses and wage loss. Suit was filed in Johnson County, Kansas and the case was ultimately resolved successfully by way of mediation.