Colon cancer, sometimes called colorectal cancer, is one of the most common cancers; it is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the U.S. and worldwide. In this country, about one in 23 men and one in 25 women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in their lifetime. The vast majority of the time, colonoscopies go just as planned, and provide either that clean bill of health, or a treatment plan if disease is detected. But occasionally, colonoscopy injuries caused by medical malpractice occur.
Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, but it doesn’t have to be. While often symptomless in its early stages, colon cancer is often slow-growing. That means that with early detection, colorectal cancer is highly treatable and often curable; survival rates are significantly higher for colon cancer caught early.
For that reason, many people willingly subject themselves to a colonoscopy—long considered the gold standard for detecting colon cancer. If you have ever had a colonoscopy, you know that the preparation for the test can be unpleasant. But it’s all worth it when, after the procedure, your doctor gives you a clean bill of colorectal health.
In a colonoscopy, a long, flexible colonoscope with a light and camera is used to look inside the colon for signs of damage or disease. Most people think of colonoscopies as being used to detect cancer, and they are. But they are also useful in detecting or confirming other conditions, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.
Colonoscopies are performed under sedation, so what might sound like an uncomfortable process is usually painless. But in those rare circumstances when colonoscopy injuries occur due to a doctor’s negligence, the aftermath can be devastating.
Complications from a colonoscopy can be caused by a number of issues:
When the colonoscope lacerates the lining of the colon, that is referred to as a “perforation.” Sometimes a perforation is a small cut; other times, the scope completely pierces the wall of the colon. Either way, perforations should not happen in the course of a colonoscopy, and immediate repair is necessary. A small perforation may be able to be repaired during the procedure; in the case of a serious bowel perforation, emergency abdominal surgery may be required. In the most severe cases, bowel resection (removal of a portion of the bowel) may be needed.
Another danger of a bowel perforation is infection or sepsis, which can lead to further injury to the colon or to death.
“Excessive insufflation” is a medical term that refers to the overuse of air in the bowel during a colonoscopy. Doctors pump air or gas into the bowel during a colonoscopy to gain better visibility and easier navigation of the colonoscope. Overinflation of the bowel can cause cramping or bloating, which typically resolves in a few hours. More rarely, excessive insufflation can cause pressure-related injury to the bowel wall, bowel perforation, or in extremely rare cases, a gas embolism if gas enters the bloodstream.
People undergo colonoscopies for the purpose of detecting serious health conditions. If a doctor misdiagnoses cancer as a more benign condition, or fails to diagnose cancer altogether, the error could be life-threatening. Most people undergo a colonoscopy only every five to ten years, which means that an undetected cancer may grow for years, becoming life-threatening or untreatable before it is finally caught.
Doctors performing colonoscopies are usually well-trained and know how to avoid colonoscopy injuries. However, careless use of medical devices can cause serious injuries during a colonoscopy. These injuries may stem from inadequate cleaning or sterilization of the colonoscope, improper positioning of the scope, or incorrect technique during polyp removal, among other causes.
Some colonoscopy injuries from medical malpractice are detected by the doctor during the procedure and may be addressed (perhaps without the patient later being informed). Other injuries may only become evident in the days or weeks after the procedure; in the case of a failure to diagnose, the injury may not be known for years. In other words, it is not always immediately clear that you have suffered an injury, or that it is due to malpractice during your colonoscopy.
If you are having medical issues that you suspect are from colonoscopy malpractice, the first thing to do is to seek treatment from a doctor you trust. But you should also speak to an experienced medical malpractice attorney who can help you discover whether you have a claim. If you do, you may have only a limited time to make your claim after you become aware of the injury. If you fail to make a claim before the statute of limitations expires, your claim will be barred.
To learn more about colonoscopy injuries from medical malpractice in Oregon, or to find out if you have a claim, call the Fraser Law Firm at 971-266-8877 or contact us online.
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