This case involves a female patient that underwent a surgical procedure on her foot involving the placement of metal hardware that was incorrectly secured and ultimately was protruding from the bottom of the foot. The physician performed the surgery a second time which resulted in a negative outcome. The patient has developed several problems related to the procedure including an allergic reaction to the metal and a chronic pain syndrome.
Question(s) For Expert Witness
Are these known complications of this procedure?
Expert Witness Response E-000183
Yes this is a known complication of surgery and is quite common in procedures like this. The use of metal hardware in foot and ankle surgery (and orthopedic surgery in general) has been in place for decades. Called internal fixation, these screws, plates, and pins have helped to improve bone healing times by internally stabilizing broken bone so that it can heal without movement, which has reduced, and in some cases, eliminated, extended immobilization. This hardware is used to repair fractures, but is also used to stabilize bone cuts that are essentially intended surgical fractures during reconstructive surgery for bone deformity. Occasionally, the hardware may protrude into other structures such as nerve tissue and become painful on a chronic basis.
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