A Step-by-Step Look at Gallbladder Surgery
The chances are good that nobody has ever explained the medical procedure you underwent during your gallbladder surgery. In most instances, laparoscopic chlolecystectomy is an extremely basic operation.
The lawyers at Schwartzapfel Truhowsky Marcus P.C. have a thorough understanding of gallbladder surgery and its complications, and we think you should too. That's why our site offers a step-by-step look at what occurred. This information will help you understand what went wrong with your surgery.
If you have been harmed during the diagnosis or treatment of gallbladder disease, either during surgery or postoperatively, then please contact the New York medical malpractice attorneys of Schwartzapfel Truhowsky Marcus P.C. at 1.800.966.4999 or fill out our online contact form for a free case evaluation. Let our attorneys work for you!
About Your Gallbladder
The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ located below the liver on the right side of your abdomen. It is connected to the liver and the small intestine by tubes or ducts.
The gallbladder serves as a storage tank for bile, a greenish digestive fluid that is produced by the liver to aid in digestion of fatty foods. It has the capacity to hold about five tablespoons. After you eat, your body begins the digestion process. The gallbladder contracts, and bile flows into the small intestine to mix with food to aid in digestion.
If your gallbladder becomes inflamed or filled with gallstones, doctors may decide it’s necessary to remove your gallbladder. Each year, more than a half million people have their gallbladders surgically removed.
Laparoscopic Gallbladder Surgery
- Doctors began laparoscopic gallbladder removal in 1990. Most cholecystectomies are now performed this way. Here are the steps of that procedure.
- After the patient is sedated and lying face up on the operating table, doctors typically make four small incisions in the abdominal wall to start the procedure.
- Carbon dioxide is pumped into the body through an incision near the navel to inflate the abdomen so doctors can see the organs clearly.
- A small tubular camera called a laparoscope is inserted into the patient’s body through an incision around the navel, along with a high intensity light. The camera is used throughout the surgery to show the doctor the interior of the patient’s abdomen on a high-resolution video monitor.
- Small surgical instruments such as graspers, scissors, hooks, dissectors and clips are passed into the body through the incisions on the left and right sides of the abdomen.
- A suction and irrigation device — somewhat like the suction device at a dentist office— is passed into the body through an incision near the top of the abdomen.
- Doctors explore the abdomen to assess the inflammation of the gallbladder. They also seek to isolate the gallbladder from other organs.
- The liver is lifted to expose the gallbladder or the patient’s body is shifted slightly so that the organs shift to the left side and toward the pelvis.
- A needle is inserted into the gallbladder underneath the rib cage to drain bile. That allows doctors to grasp the gallbladder more easily with forceps.
- Doctors look for any adhesions connecting the gallbladder to adjacent organs. They must be severed.
- The most delicate part of the procedure is dissecting the Hepatocystic Triangle, also known as the triangle of Calot. This is where the cystic artery branches off the right hepatic artery. The surgeon should use Calot’s Triangle for orientation. The dissection of Calot’s triangle begins at the junction of between the neck of the gallbladder and the cystic duct. It should never start at the junction of the cystic duct and the common bile duct, because the cystic duct is sometimes short and may be confused with the common bile duct. The most common cause of serious injuries is misidentification of the cystic duct.
- The doctor identifies the cystic duct where it enters the gall bladder.
- The tissue is separated and clips are applied to the cystic duct away from the common bile duct. The cystic duct is then cut with scissors. The cystic duct should be cut close to the gallbladder.
- A similar procedure is used to clip and cut the cystic artery after any adhesions to the gallbladder are removed.
- Strands of tissue connecting the gallbladder to the liver are cut away so the gallbladder can be removed.
- After the gallbladder is cut free from the liver, the gallbladder is placed in a small bag and removed through a tube inserted through one of the incisions in the abdomen.
- The doctor makes sure there is no abnormal bleeding before removing the instruments and suturing the incisions.
Surgery Complications
Unfortunately, not all surgeries go as planned. In some instances, unforeseen injuries occur— injuries that can have long lasting consequences to the patient’s quality of life.
There are two probable scenarios of how your bile duct was injured during laparoscopic gallbladder removal surgery.
- Your surgeon intentionally cut the common bile duct, believing at that moment it was the cystic duct.
- Your doctor made a medical mistake and inadvertently hit the common bile duct.
In both instances, you have suffered an avoidable injury caused by your doctor’s negligence. Now you need legal help.
Experienced Legal Help: Schwartzapfel Truhowsky Marcus P.C.
The New York gallbladder surgery lawyers of Schwartzapfel Partners have handled numerous gallbladder injury cases and from our experience, we know what caused your injury. You need a lawyer who understands the long-term complications you face and who has the legal expertise to get you the money you’ll need to recover from your injury.
The attorneys and staff of Schwartzapfel Truhowsky Marcus P.C. are committed to helping victims of laparoscopic cholecystectomy malpractice. Our attorneys have more than 150 years of combined legal experience and have handled dozens of successful medical malpractice cases. Our experience is one of the many reasons why you should contact us at at 1.800.966.4999 or fill out our online contact form for a free case evaluation.
