Surgical Staple Injuries

Surgical staples are commonly used by medical practitioners in Maryland. While these tools are beneficial, there are also certain risks involved with their use. If you or a loved one has suffered harm as a result of a surgical staple injury, we can help. At Arfaa Law Group, our skilled Baltimore surgical malpractice lawyers can analyze the facts of your case and help you pursue the compensation that you deserve. We have obtained substantial settlements and verdicts on behalf of many clients, including the largest medical malpractice verdict in Baltimore County history.

Surgical staples are specialized staples used in place of sutures to close skin wounds and, in some cases, to hold together internal organs. It is estimated that surgical staples are used in more than 100,000 surgeries each year. Surgical staples are used for procedures such as gastric bypass surgery, lung surgery, neck surgery, heart surgery, colonostomies, and appendectomies. The use of surgical staples results in 8,000 to 9,000 reported complications each year in the United States, with many leading to injuries or death, according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Surgical staple injuries can arise in a number of ways. The FDA found that 90 percent of surgical staple injuries occur because the stapler did not fire correctly. Other complications with surgical staples include the separation of suture lines, staplers becoming stuck in the tissue of patients, and staples not forming correctly. When staples do not close the incision properly, the patient can face serious health risks, such as pain, bleeding, organ failure, and the separation of surgical connections made between organs, vessels, or both.

Surgical staple injuries can result from medical malpractice. A Maryland medical malpractice claim is a civil claim that intends to hold medical professionals accountable for their negligent conduct. Medical malpractice takes place when a medical professional causes an injury or death by failing to adhere to the expected standard of care. The standard of care refers to the level of care that a reasonably prudent medical professional in the same specialty would have used in the same or similar circumstances. For example, a reasonably prudent medical professional would remove all of the debris and properly sterilize the area before closing the wound, understanding the serious risk of infection caused by failing to do so. As a result, a medical professional who injures a patient in this way would likely be liable for malpractice.

In some cases, surgical staple injuries can occur because the surgical staplers or staples are defective. If a defective medical product injured you or someone in your family, you will likely be able to recover compensation through a product liability claim against the manufacturer of the product. Product liability claims intend to hold manufacturers and sellers liable for placing a defective product into the hands of a consumer. For example, a staple may be prone to jamming and becoming stuck to the patient’s tissue. The defect can be one of the following:

• A design defect, which is an imperfection in the product’s design;
• A manufacturing defect, which is a problem with how the product is assembled; or
• A failure to warn, which is when there is a failure to warn consumers of the possible hazards and risks associated with using the product as intended.

If you or a loved one has been hurt by the inappropriate use of surgical staples, or by a defective staple, you should contact our skilled Baltimore attorneys. At Arfaa Law Group, we are committed to holding negligent medical professionals accountable for the harm that they cause. We can look into the circumstances surrounding your injury and come up with a legal strategy accordingly. Our attorneys represent victims throughout the state of Maryland who need to sue a hospital or doctor for acting carelessly in harming them. For a free case evaluation, call 410-889-1850 or contact us online.