Patient Suffers Permanent Nerve Damage From Botched Hand Surgery

ByVictoria Negron

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Updated onMay 22, 2018

Patient Suffers Permanent Nerve Damage From Botched Hand Surgery

This case involves a middle-aged male patient with a history of rheumatoid arthritis who presented with persistent hand inflammation. He underwent an endoscopic carpal tunnel release after months of conservative management failed to improve his condition. During the procedure, the surgeon lacerated the median nerve. Following the surgery, the patient developed a painful neuroma at the laceration location. The neuroma caused persistent electrical pain in the affected hand and the patient suffered difficulty performing routine daily tasks he had no problem with prior to the surgery. The patient was told by the surgeon that injury to the median nerve was an unavoidable complication and that nothing could have been done to prevent these side effects from occurring. An expert hand surgeon was sought to opine on whether such injuries are inevitable.

Question(s) For Expert Witness

1. How often do you perform endoscopic and/or open CTR?

2. What precautions are taken to protect the median nerve during endoscopic CTR?

3. Have you ever seen this complication before or reviewed a similar case? If yes, please elaborate.

Expert Witness Response E-035992

inline imageI am the section director of hand surgery and an assistant program director of plastic surgery at my institution. I have performed several endoscopic carpal tunnel releases in my training. At the present time, I perform over 100 open carpal tunnel releases per year. The nerve should be visualized during the entire release to prevent injury. Clearly, this was not done. Direct injury to the median nerve after carpal tunnel release is exceedingly rare. While most may consider it a risk of the surgery, the injury is so significant that can be quite debilitating. I have written an opinion in a similar case where I felt there was a deviation. Also, if the patient was not warranted that median nerve laceration could occur, this would be a deviation in the form of informed consent.

About the author

Victoria Negron

Victoria Negron

Victoria Negron has extensive experience in journalism and thought leadership in the legal space, with a background crafting content, whitepapers, webinars, and current event articles pertaining to the role of expert witnesses in complex litigation matters. She is a skilled professional specializing in B2B product marketing and content marketing. Currently, she serves as an Enterprise Product Marketing Manager at Postman, and previously held the position of Technical Product Marketing Manager at Palantir Technologies, where she developed her skills in launch strategies, go-to-market strategy, and competitive analysis.

Her expertise in content marketing was further refined during her tenure at the Expert Institute, where she progressed from a Marketing Writer to Senior Content Marketing Manager, and eventually to Associate Director of Content & Product Marketing. In these roles, she honed her abilities in digital marketing, SEO, content strategy, and thought leadership.

Educationally, Victoria holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida - Warrington College of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Literature, Art, and Hispanic Studies from Hamilton College. Her diverse educational background and professional experience have equipped her with a robust skill set in product marketing, content development, and strategic marketing initiatives.

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