According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), hundreds of thousands of people have been injured by surgical staples in the last decade. Surgeons rely on surgical staples to seal incision sites after surgery.
If you suffered injuries because of defective surgical staple guns or surgical staples, you might benefit from contacting a surgical stapler lawyer. A practiced injury attorney could look over the facts of your case to determine your eligibility for financial recovery.
Undisclosed Materials that Cause Allergic Reactions
Surgical staples can be implanted internally or used externally to seal surgical wounds. When staples are defective, they can cause tremendous harm to the patient undergoing surgery.
Surgical staples must be labeled with potential allergens, and the patient should be informed about possible complications related to the composition of the staple before the surgery. When staples contain undisclosed materials that cause allergic reactions or a medical professional fails to inform the patient of the potential allergens, the injuries sustained by the patient can be life-threatening.
The patient may need to undergo successive surgeries to eliminate the problems caused by improper staples. A surgical staple attorney might be able to assist clients in recovering financial damages for the preventable medical interventions.
Misshapen Surgical Staples
Misshapen surgical staples are another cause of harm. When staples are not uniform, they may cause the staple gun to misfire. If the gun does not misfire, the misshapen staple may not hold the incision together as expected, leading to possible complications later, such as the wound not healing correctly.
During surgery, the distance between vital organs and the surgical site may be a few millimeters. Misshapen surgical staples may enter the body at irregular angles, posing a threat to nearby organs and tissue systems.
Because a patient has no opportunity to review surgical staples for signs of deformity before surgery, the responsibility for those materials lies with the manufacturer. An attorney may be able to fight for damages on behalf of patients impacted by deformed staples.
Risk of Misfired Staple Gun
Like a traditional gun, a staple gun is capable of misfiring. When the gun misfires, it can cause a variety of injuries to the patient. Foremost, a faulty staple gun could insert too many, or too few, staples into the patient’s incision.
If the necessary number of staples is not applied, the patient may risk delayed recovery, sepsis, and internal bleeding. In some cases, insufficient staples can also lead to serious infection and even Toxic Shock Syndrome.
Additionally, a defective surgical staple gun can fire staples into unintended sites, such as sensitive tissue or organs. When surgical staple guns or staples strike non-target locations, this could cause an injury that requires further medical care. In these cases, an attorney could use these injuries as evidence the surgical stapler misfired and caused harm to a plaintiff.
Reach Out to a Surgical Stapler Attorney for Guidance
If you were injured by a malfunctioning stapler gun, or due to an allergic reaction to undisclosed materials within the stapler itself, you could have a strong injury claim. A surgical stapler lawyer could gather the evidence of your case to hold the negligent party or parties responsible for your injuries. Call today.