Danbury Hospital Weight Loss Surgery Lawyer

A physician distress due to errors made during operation.Danbury Hospital and the New Milford Hospital are the two hospitals that are part of the Western Connecticut Health Network. If you or someone you love suffered severe health complications following weight loss surgery at Danbury Hospital, you can seek legal representation from the Danbury hospital weight loss surgery lawyers at Berkowitz Hanna.

Information about Danbury Hospital

Danbury Hospital in Danbury, Conn., is a 371-bed teaching hospital. Medical students, residents, and fellows from Yale University School of Medicine, the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and the University of Vermont College of Medicine train at the hospital and work with patients there.

According to U.S. News Best Hospitals, Danbury Hospital performed nearly equal in five adult care specialties to other highly ranked hospitals in the country.

At Danbury, these highly ranked specialties are:

  • Diabetes and endocrinology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Urology
  • Ear, nose, and throat
  • Orthopedics

The hospital’s centers of excellence are cardiovascular services, cancer, weight loss surgery, orthopedic and spine care, digestive disorders, and radiology. About 750 physicians from the region and nearly 4,000 employees work for the hospital. Close to 2,500 babies are born there annually.

Center for Weight Loss Surgery

Three surgical procedures for weight loss are performed at Danbury Hospital: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, Sleeve Gastrectomy, and Lap Band® surgery.

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery

This procedure makes the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass a part of the small intestine. The surgeon makes a stomach pouch out of a small part of the top of the stomach and attaches the pouch to the small intestine. The absorption of fat is reduced. Patients feel fuller sooner.

After the procedure, the stomach can hold only one or two ounces of food. Fewer calories are added because less food comes into contact with the small intestine. In general, patients lose from 60 to 80 percent of excess body weight within 18 months of surgery. This drops to 50 to 70 percent of what weight was before the surgery after about five years.

Sleeve Gastrectomy

During sleeve gastrectomy, the surgeon removes more than half of the stomach. Weight is lost using this process because less food can be eaten since the stomach is smaller. A hormone the stomach produces that causes hunger called ghrelin is reduced and patients don’t want to eat as much.

Originally, this surgery was a preliminary step before doing bypass surgery in extremely obese patients. The procedure is still done for that reason today. But, doctors found that this could be an effective stand-alone procedure for some patients. In general, patients lose between 55 and 70 percent of their pre-surgical weight.

Lap Band® Surgery

During this surgery, the doctor puts a kind of band at the top or neck of the stomach. A patient feels fuller faster because the stomach below the band is not available for processing food. The band is adjustable and adjustments are usually made during the first couple of years after surgery.

Although this approach does not involve cutting the stomach and intestines, and therefore patients think it may be safer, it is still major abdominal surgery, the hospital cautions readers on its Website.[1] This procedure, although it may be safer than the other two bariatric procedures, produces less weight loss. Lost weight after this surgery can vary between no change and 90 percent pre-surgical weight loss.

Risks of Bariatric Surgery

Many of the risks of bariatric bypass surgery are the same risks a patient takes when having almost any type of major surgery. These risks include:

  • Adverse reactions to anesthesia
  • Blood clots
  • Death (rare)
  • Excessive bleeding
  • Infection
  • Leaks in your gastrointestinal system
  • Lung or breathing problems

Other longer-term risks and complications of bariatric surgery may be:

  • Bowel obstruction
  • Dumping syndrome, causing diarrhea, nausea or vomiting
  • Gallstones
  • Hernias
  • Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
  • Malnutrition
  • Stomach perforation
  • Ulcers
  • Vomiting
  • Death (rare)

Do You Qualify to File a Lawsuit for Bariatric Surgery?

If you or a loved one has had serious complications from weight-loss surgery at Danbury Hospital, you should consult with a Danbury hospital weight loss surgery lawyer. Because there are a number of possible complications associated with weight loss surgery, it is important that the surgeon and staff take extra care before, during, and after surgery.

If you’ve suffered serious complications following weight loss surgery at Danbury Hospital, the bariatric surgery attorneys at Berkowitz Hanna can investigate your surgery to determine if any form of hospital negligence occurred. If there is any sign of malpractice (medical negligence, hospital malpractice, etc.), we will help you get compensation for your injuries and suffering. To learn more, schedule a consultation today.