What is a Bile Duct Injury?

Bile duct injuries sometimes occur during gallbladder operations. Caused by trauma during surgery, bile duct injuries can lead to the narrowing and scarring of the bile duct. This condition, known as a bile duct stricture, prevents bile from draining into the intestine, and this results in the leakage of bile into the bloodstream. This leakage often leads to additional problems, including jaundice and injuries to the hepatic artery, which is the blood vessel that leads to the liver. Given the severity of these issues, it’s important to immediately contact a northwest Florida bile duct injury attorney if you believe you’ve suffered a bile duct injury. Below is some additional information about bile duct injuries.

Bile duct injury symptoms

Patients usually recover quickly from successful gallbladder surgery, so a slow recovery can be a sign that something is amiss. In addition to recovery problems, there are a number of symptoms associated with bile duct injuries. Some bile duct injury symptoms appear immediately after gallbladder surgery. Others, however, don’t appear until weeks or months later. Symptoms that occur quickly are usually associated with bile leakage, while delayed symptoms are often associated with a bile duct stricture. Typical bile duct injury symptoms include:

  • Nausea
  • Fever
  • Pain
  • Discomfort
  • Vomiting

Liability for bile duct injuries

If you’ve suffered a bile duct injury, you may be entitled to compensation, as doctors who injure their patients during gallbladder surgery may be held financially responsible for such harm. However, if you are considering filing a medical malpractice claim, you should first consult with a Florida bile duct injury attorney. An experienced northwest Florida bile duct injury attorney will assess the facts of your case and advise you on how to proceed.

How our experienced Florida attorneys can help you recover

At Staples Ellis, our northwest Florida bile duct injury attorneys understand the physical, emotional, and financial pain associated with bile duct injuries, and we will carefully evaluate the circumstances that led to your injury to determine the likelihood of a successful lawsuit. Bile duct injury cases turn on whether a physician deviated from his or her appropriate standard of care, and Staples Ellis will conduct an extensive investigation to determine whether your physician should be held liable for your injury. By collaborating with a respected network of medical experts, our experienced attorneys will demonstrate how your bile duct injury was caused by the negligence of your surgeon or medical provider. If your claim is successful, you may be entitled to compensation for your past and future lost wages, medical expenses, pain, and suffering. Finally, we handle our medical malpractice cases on a contingency basis, which means you pay nothing unless your case is successful. So, if you’ve suffered a bile duct injury due to your doctor’s negligence, please contact us immediately for a free and confidential consultation.

Posted in: Medical Malpractice