Monday 8 June 2015

Ear Surgery Injuries - Am I Entitled to Claim Compensation?

Ear surgery also known as Otoplasty in the medical world is usually carried out as a treatment to correct protruding ears. There commonly two techniques that are used to achieve this; ear splinting used a splint to set the ear into its new position once the soft cartilage has been reset, pinnaplasty is a method that involved completely re-modelling the cartilage within the ear to position the ear close to the head.

Ear Surgery Risks

Ear surgery when carried out properly can be a very simple and quick procedure that can give the patient the ears they had always dreamed of, however if the medical professional tasked with carrying out the surgery does not take their job seriously enough and acts in a negligent way towards the patient then there can be some very serious consequences.

·         Excessive Bleeding – A collection of blood outside of the blood vessels can result in excessive bleeding from the ear and can also cause a high amount of painful bruising.

·         Blot Clots – The ear is very close to the main arteries in the neck and blot clots as a result of improperly performed surgery occurring in this area can pose a high danger to the patient.

·         Asymmetry – Unfortunately, this is a very common problem among ear surgery patients and can leave them feeling dejected and disappointed with their appearance.

·         Infections – Mild infections are not something to panic about following a surgery as long as treatment is provided as soon as possible. When an infection is not diagnosed and treated quickly, there can be a high amount of scarring as well as, it is possible that the infection can develop into more serious problems such as septicaemia.

·         Poor Wound Healing – If the medical facility does not provide adequate aftercare then it is highly likely that the wounds will not heal well. If the wounds are not properly looked after it can result in horrible side-effects for the patient.

·         Change in Skin Sensation – There is also the risk of nerve damage which can result in strange sensations, such as tingling and numbness, both of which can be very annoying and uncomfortable.

·         Swelling – In the aftermath of any surgery it is to be expected that there will be a considerable amount of swelling, but this should begin to subside after a few days. If the swelling does not go down then there is a good chance that something has gone wrong during the surgery. Continual swelling may result in skin discolouration and bruising.

If you have suffered any of the above problems and believe that they were caused by medical negligence then you may be able to make a compensation claim with the help of your cosmetic surgery solicitors. If you have had to have any further surgery to correct the damage caused by the original surgeon then you should be able to claim against the surgeon who carried out the original operation.