Hip Replacement Surgery Leads to Sciatic Nerve Injury
A complex case of surgical complication raises key questions about procedure, timing, and safeguards in a life-altering medical outcome.
Published on
Case Overview
This case involves an adult individual who underwent hip replacement surgery, which was subsequently complicated by a sciatic nerve injury. The injury resulted in significant functional impairment, including loss of use of the leg and foot drop. The timing and specifics of the surgical procedure are crucial in evaluating liability and causation in this matter. Understanding the surgical approach, the steps taken to protect the sciatic nerve, and any potential oversights during the operation is essential for assessing the circumstances that led to this unfortunate outcome.
Questions to the Orthopedic Trauma Surgery expert and their responses
What steps are necessary to protect and prevent injury to the sciatic nerve?
Depending on the surgical approach used, the sciatic nerve may be at risk during the tissue dissection (getting to the hip to perform the procedure), and there are steps that can be taken to help decrease the risk of injury (relax the nerve, etc.).
What steps are necessary to protect and prevent injury to the sciatic nerve?
Some surgical factors that could have played a role in injury to the sciatic nerve include improper positioning, careless dissection or tissue handling, inappropriate instrument placement, and not recognizing patient factors that could contribute to increased risk of injury (deformity which could result in shortening of the nerve/tissues that will be stretched with a recreation of a more normal anatomic configuration with the replacement), to name a few.
About the expert
This expert has 10 years of experience in orthopedic trauma surgery. He earned his BS in human physiology and his MD from Boston University, followed by his MPH with a concentration in family and community health from Harvard University. Thereafter, he completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center and a fellowship in orthopedic traumatology at Grant Medical Center in Ohio. Today, this expert is board certified in orthopedic surgery and is active in his field as a member of multiple organizations such as the Orthopedic Trauma Association and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. He formerly served as an orthopedic trauma surgeon for the Mayo Clinic Health System, a level II trauma and regional medical center, as well as the physician director of the surgical service line at Northeast Georgia Physicians Group. Currently, he is an orthopedic trauma and reconstructive surgeon for a health system in Georgia, where he provides trauma and acute care orthopedic services at a level II trauma and tertiary care center.
E-677528
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