Minimally invasive surgery leads to woman’s death

There is some risk associated with undergoing just about any surgery. Whether it’s a lifesaving surgery or a cosmetic one, people in our state make decisions every day to go under the knife. When patients hear that the surgery they need is “minimally invasive,” they may feel a bit more secure in its safety. Unfortunately, even a minimally invasive surgery can have tragic outcomes if medical negligence is involved.

Recently, a jury awarded $3 million to the husband of a woman who passed away in another state. The woman had surgery to remove an ovarian cyst in 2009. Just two days later, she passed away. According to a news report, the woman’s bowel was pierced during the surgery. The medical malpractice claim said the surgeon failed to check the woman’s bowel for cuts, and that he also mishandled the woman’s complaints after the surgery.

According to the physician’s lawyer, the jury felt he did a good job on the surgery but should have told the woman to head to the emergency room “more urgently” after she started belching. The jury held the clinic and the doctor who did the surgery accountable for the incident. Two other defendants were not found to be at fault in this case.

A lawyer who represented the woman’s family said the family has been through a lot of ups and downs and has had a long journey related to this case. Another lawyer pointed out that the woman could have lived a long life but died due to various medical errors.