This case involves a 60-year-old male patient who underwent a colonoscopy and was deemed to have cancer of the transverse colon. The surgeon involved began the resection procedure by removing part of the descending colon before recognizing that the cancerous lesion was isolated to the transverse colon. The patient now experiences chronic digestive complications related to the aggressive removal of a healthy bowel.
Question(s) For Expert Witness
- 1. What is the standard of care in properly identifying the location of cancer before initiating a resection of the bowel?
Expert Witness Response E-000130
The standard of care in resecting any type of cancer is to study the diagnostic imaging before taking the patient into surgery and the surgeon should have a working knowledge of what needs to be removed preoperatively. For a surgeon to blindly resect the descending colon without having unequivocal evidence that the cancer has invaded that portion of the colon is negligent to say the least.
Contact this expert witness
Related Posts
This case involves a 46-year-old male who presented to the emergency room after experiencing a severe episode of respiratory distress at a local store. Upon arriving at the ER, the patient decompensated further into total respiratory arrest at which point…
This case involves a 59-year-old male patient who presented to the emergency room with severe abdominal pain. A CT-abdomen was performed and the report showed a distal small bowel obstruction. The patient was treated with IV hydration, Zofran, and Dilaudid…