Failure To Treat Pelvic Abscess
If medical professionals failed to diagnose and treat your pelvic abscess, causing you to suffer serious complications, you could be entitled to pursue a claim for compensation. For more information, please get in touch with us today.
What is a pelvic abscess?
A pelvic abscess is a collection of pus somewhere in your lower abdomen – usually in the perineum, rectum, bladder, uterus or vagina. Normally an abscess will occur when your body sends white blood cells to fight harmful bacteria. This can cause the area of surrounding tissue to die, leaving a hollow which fills with pus. This painful, solid lump is called an abscess.
Diagnosing a pelvic abscess
Initially, a pelvic abscess may not lead to any symptoms. But as the abscess grows in size, the individual in question will experience a severe pain at the site of infection. Other symptoms may also arise, including fever, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, difficulty passing a stool, pus in the stools and a high temperature.
Such symptoms should prompt medical practitioners to suspect an infection. A digital rectal examination and/or a vaginal examination may reveal a solid mass. A diagnosis can be confirmed with imaging tests, such as an MRI scan, which will reveal the presence of an internal abscess.
Treating a pelvic abscess
The pus must be drained from a pelvic abscess. If the abscess is small in size, it may be drained with a fine needle or a drainage catheter. Alternatively, if the abscess is large in size or cannot be drained with a needle due to its location, surgery will be needed.
Delayed treatment of a pelvic abscess
It is important for such treatment to be carried out promptly. If there is a delay, the abscess will grow in size. Eventually the abscess may be so large that it:
- Drains into surrounding area of the body (such as the leg)
- Damages surrounding organs (such as the bowel, which in turn will cause faeces ad waste products to spread into the abdominal cavity)
- Perforates or bursts, causing a severe infection to spread through the pelvic region
- Leads to septic shock and organ failure – which will occur if the infection spreads to the blood
The consequences of an untreated pelvic abscess are therefore very serious. A patient can become critically unwell and their life will be in danger. There may also be long-term complications that a patient must live with. For example, the scarring may be severe, fertility may be affected or a catheter/colostomy bag may be required.
Compensation for a pelvic abscess
If you have suffered complications because medical professionals failed to diagnose and treat your pelvic abscess, please get in touch with us today to discuss making a compensation claim.
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