Medical Malpractice in Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology is a branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and complications in the digestive system – esophagus, stomach, colon, small intestine, appendix, pancreas, and liver. The examinations and treatments in the field of gastroenterology are unique to this field and are characterized by invasive surgical, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures that expose the patient, by their very nature, to increased risk. Therefore, it is not surprising that there are many grounds for establishing a lawsuit for medical malpractice in the field of gastroenterology.

It is important to note that medical malpractice lawsuits in the field of gastroenterology are filed not only against gastroenterologists but sometimes also against family doctors.

Unreasonable conduct by a doctor for which there are grounds to file a lawsuit for medical malpractice in the field of gastroenterology may be one of the following:

Misdiagnosis, lack of diagnosis, or late diagnosis of digestive tract diseases, such as colon cancer, stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, inflammations such as appendicitis, inflammation of the small intestine, liver cirrhosis, diseases such as celiac disease or Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticula, ulcers, hemorrhoids, reflux, and more.

Failure to take a detailed medical history, including the patient's medical history and that of their family members, their complaints regarding various physical symptoms such as abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits (changes in bowel movements – diarrhea or constipation), gas, anemia, rectal bleeding, unexplained weight loss, and the like.

A family doctor's failure to refer the patient to a specialist in the field of gastroenterology.

Failure to refer the patient for appropriate tests, including and especially tests unique to the field such as fecal occult blood test, colonoscopy, virtual colonoscopy, manometry test, barium test, endoscopy, gastroscopy, abdominal CT, and the like. Also, failure to refer the patient for periodic screening tests for cancer diagnosis.

Incorrect interpretation of tests or ignoring abnormal findings in an examination.

Lack of medical follow-up on medical test results and failure to update the patient about abnormal findings.

Performing tests in an unprofessional and unskilled manner and performing tests aggressively that caused damage to the patient.

Lack of supervision and lack of monitoring and follow-up of the patient after performing an invasive surgical procedure or invasive examination and failure to diagnose signs indicating injury to the patient.

Negligence in performing anesthesia or administering an inappropriate dose of anesthetic or sedation during an examination or treatment.

Failure to obtain informed consent from the patient to perform a medical procedure in the field of gastroenterology (that is, failure to provide a detailed and complete explanation regarding treatment alternatives, chances and risks – including rare risks), side effects, and more.

The tests unique to this field – gastroscopy and endoscopy that examine the upper digestive system and treat, among other things, dilation of strictures, stopping bleeding, taking biopsies, and more; sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy, which focus on the colon and lower digestive system and treat, among other things, removal of polyps, cauterization of polyps, taking biopsies, and the like; and ERCP, an examination of the bile ducts for diagnosing diseases and problems in the bile ducts, dilation of strictures, and the like.

Among the common complications, one can list choking during insertion of the examination tube, aspiration of stomach contents, respiratory depression, poisoning or blood infection, formation of local infections or transmission of bacterial and viral infections, perforation of internal organs, including the colon, stomach, digestive system, esophagus, or duodenum, and development of internal bleeding.

As in any medical field, also in the field of gastroenterology, deviation from the reasonable standard of conduct of the doctor which results in a complication or damage – constitutes negligence. Where it can be proven that the damage was caused due to negligent treatment/lack of treatment, there are grounds for filing a lawsuit against those responsible for the damage.

A lawsuit for medical malpractice that is accepted in court generally entitles the injured party to an exceptionally high compensation amount that is intended to reflect the serious and sometimes irreversible damages of the injured party.

If you have suffered damage as a result of the negligence of a doctor who treated you for a problem in the field of gastroenterology, you may have grounds for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit in this field.

Our office specializes in medical malpractice and has accumulated extensive medical knowledge and experience over decades of activity, and works with leading medical experts. Therefore, we recommend contacting our office immediately by getting in touch to receive legal consultation and examine the feasibility of filing a lawsuit on grounds of medical malpractice.