Contemporary Surgery

Vena cava punctured during hernia repair

  Liable or not? You decide

THE PLAINTIFF

A 43-year-old man had a laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.

CASE FACTS

The patient’s vena cava was punctured during the procedure, which required an open repair. The patient suffered 70% blood loss.

POSTOPERATIVE COURSE

The patient required months of recovery, during which he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and possible brain damage with cognitive deficits.

PLAINTIFF’S CLAIM

The surgeon used an improper technique in directing the trocar and failed to insufflate the abdomen for the operation.

DOCTOR’S DEFENSE

The operation did not require insufflation, and the vena cava puncture was a known complication of the procedure.

Case excerpted from Medical Malpractice Verdicts, Settlements and Experts, with permission of the editor, Lewis Laska, Nashville, TN (www.verdictslaska.com).