Gastric Bypass Malpractice Attorney in Phoenix, AZ

With obesity at all time highs, more and more people are reaching the point of desperation about their weight. Gastric bypass is major abdominal surgery. Different bariatric procedures have been developed that use banding, stapling, or rerouting of the upper digestive tract—stomach and small intestine—to reduce the ability to ingest large quantities of food and to reduce the amount of absorption of that which is ingested.

It’s easy to understand why these procedures have become so popular; they offer hope to those whose past efforts have made them feel hopeless. The dangers of obesity to health are many, and bariatric surgery offers the obese a ticket to the better health, appearance, and body image enjoyed by their thinner compatriots. When a surgeon harms a patient because of a medical error during surgery, the victim will often be to recover money as compensation for his or her damages through a civil medical malpractice action; however that is far from what the patient is owed. In order to receive full compensation for your complications due to a medical error, talk to a Phoenix medical malpractice lawyer to understand your options.

Is the surgical solution to obesity too good to be true? Not necessarily. It has helped many people gain a better life and improved health. More than 140,000 of the procedures are performed annually in the United States, many with excellent results. One problem lies in the fact that the demand is so great, many doctors are jumping on the bandwagon, but without the proper training or experience. The result: complications, illness, and death.

Research shows that surgeons who have performed fewer than 70 to 100 bypass procedures have many more complications than those with more substantial bariatric surgery experience. One in every 200 to 300 gastric bypass patients dies as a result of having the surgery. Most of these deaths are preventable.

What Types of Physician Error Might Indicate Malpractice

Certain relatively common complications may indicate medical malpractice, especially when they are not recognized, diagnosed, and treated promptly: These are some medical errors that might expose the surgeon to liability for medical malpractice:

• Failing to diagnose and treat serious infections including sepsis/septicemia
• Failing to diagnose and treat perforation or leakage of gastric fluid, resulting in inflammation, infection, or peritonitis
• Failing to diagnose and treat pulmonary embolism, a blood clot traveling to the lung
• Operating on a patient who is not a proper candidate for gastric bypass surgery
• Failure to advise patient on post-surgical nutritional requirements, resulting in malnutrition, which can lead to serious neurological problems and cognitive deficits

The Importance of Having the Right Gastric Bypass Lawyer in Arizona

Medical malpractice cases are extremely complex and demanding, requiring an attorney with specific experience in this type of case. In addition to being thoroughly familiar with Arizona statutes and case law, your attorney will need to be familiar with both medical terminology and standards of practice in the state’s medical community, and will need to have respected medical experts available to assist in evaluating your medical records and to testify in your behalf. Experience and a history of success with medical malpractice cases are important considerations when choosing the right Phoenix gastric bypass lawyer to represent you.

Put Experienced Phoenix Gastric Bypass Attorneys on Your Side

The dedicated Phoenix personal injury attorneys at the Phoenix law firm of Knapp & Roberts have the experience and expertise that a challenging gastric bypass malpractice action requires. We have specific experience with this relatively new type of surgery and have succeeded in obtaining substantial monetary awards for our clients. We understand what can go wrong when unskilled, inexperienced, or simply negligent and incompetent doctors fail to take every precaution to safeguard your health before, during, and after the surgery.

A doctor performing a gastric bypass has the legal responsibility to provide every patient with the standard of care that the Arizona medical community expects of any reasonably competent bariatric surgeon. a Phoenix gastric bypass lawyer at Knapp & Roberts will determine when and how your doctor failed to meet this standard, in order to prove malpractice and obtain the compensation from the doctor or hospital.

We are a client-focused law firm in which your needs always come first. We return emails and phone calls and keep you in the loop about the progress of your case. Most malpractice cases settle out of court, but if necessary, we are always willing and prepared to present a powerful case to a jury.

Free Consultation

Call to schedule a free consultation today. Because Arizona has strict statutes of limitations restricting the amount of time you have to begin a medical malpractice action, it is important to get started right away, to protect your right to recover compensation. If you have a viable case, we will front all the expenses and our work, and you will pay us nothing unless and until our attorneys win money for you.