Bowel Perforation or Ruptured Bowel

A ruptured bowel, also known as a torn bowel, perforated bowel, hole in the bowel, perforated intestine, ruptured intestine, or gastrointestinal perforation, occurs when a hole, nick, or cut develops in the small or large intestine. When a leak occurs anywhere within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the opening allows food, fecal matter, stool, and bacteria to leak into the abdominal space or peritoneum. Obviously, this can lead to additional medical problems. At The Beasley Firm, our skilled Philadelphia attorneys can help determine the cause of your bowel perforation injury and hold the guilty party responsible for your damages. Our medical malpractice team consists of highly trained and experienced lawyers, doctors, and nurses who have hands-on experience in the medical and legal aspect of cases like these. Our renowned law firm is recognized as a "Best Law Firm" in the area of medical malpractice and has obtained some of the highest medical malpractice jury verdicts in Pennsylvania – one for $100 million and the other $55 million.

Begin a case with nationally-recognized medical malpractice attorneys from The Beasley Firm. Call (215) 866-2424 today for a complimentary consultation.

Causes & Consequences of Bowel Perforation

Bowel perforations can be contributed to or caused by a multitude of factors or illnesses. Determining if medical malpractice played a part requires the experience of several skilled professionals. 

A bowel perforation may be caused by the following:

• Diverticulitis
• Appendicitis
• Gallstones
• Ulcer Disease
• Gallbladder Infection
• Crohn's Disease
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Operation Error

If a bowel perforation occurred during a surgical procedure, medical malpractice or negligence may not have necessarily been involved. Injury to the bowel during a surgery is a known risk of many abdominal procedures. Patients should be watched for symptoms of bowel perforation.

Failure to diagnose and treat the bowel perforation in a timely manner could lead to the following complications:

• Severe infection
• Sepsis
• Septic Shock
• Peritonitis
• Organ Damage
• Death

These severe consequences illustrate how important it is for nurses, surgeons, and doctors to determine if there may be a ruptured bowel in patients who complain of fever and severe abdominal pain after they underwent a surgical procedure in their abdomen.

Treatment of Bowel Perforation

Once the bowel perforation is diagnosed, the doctor will need to fix the cause of the perforation. Many times, this includes removing the portion of the bowel that is damaged and creating a colostomy bag to divert the stool and allow the bowel to rest and heal. In most cases, the colostomy can be reversed within a year but if too much time passed before the bowel perforation was diagnosed and treated, the damage to the intestine could be too severe and the patient will require a permanent colostomy.

Call Our Seasoned Philadelphia Attorneys

If you or a loved one have suffered from a bowel perforation after a surgery, it may have been due to medical negligence. Since 1958, we have helped thousands who have been injured and have had billions awarded on their behalf. We are known for our thorough case preparation, exceptional legal guidance, and aggressive representation. Even the opposition knows that our firm produces cases that are well-prepared and well-tried. Let us put our experts to work on your behalf. Don't hesitate to enlist the help of our Philadelphia legal team. We operate on a contingent fee basis and offer free case evaluations so we can best determine how we can help.   

To begin your case consultation, call our Philadelphia lawyers at (215) 866-2424.