Who really has an appendix left these days? It seems like most of us
had them out when we were kids and could still eat a bowl of ice cream
as a reward.

Appendicitis, the end result of an inflamed and diseased appendix,
is referred to as a surgical disease, as it usually requires the
removal of the organ from the body. Often it becomes irritated and
enlarged and at that point becomes what doctors classify as a medical
emergency. Removal of this organ is considered an emergency because if
it bursts and spills out toxic contents into the system, the problem
becomes even worse, if not life threatening.

The interesting thing about the appendix is that no matter what
stage the appendicitis is at, surgeons still recommend its removal as
soon as possible. Most of these operations are safe and go as planned;
however, there is the possibility of developing post-operative
complications thanks to surgical malpractice. In some instances, there
have even been cases cited where a patient had an unnecessary
appendectomy of a healthy appendix.

The more advanced the infection of this organ, the more difficult
and risky the surgery. In these cases, patients have been known to
develop either an abscess or sepsis after surgery. Sepsis is a
dangerous condition that presents as a whole-body inflammatory state,
also called a systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

These possible complications of performing surgery if an appendix is
too diseased, is usually one of the things that prompts physicians to
operate early and avoid the problem of advanced appendicitis. This
isn't to say that all cases of appendicitis are correctly diagnosed in
the first place, as it tends to mimic many other illnesses and is thus
hard to correctly diagnose. There are also cases of appendicitis
patients who have no symptoms and no one knows that until the disease
is seriously advanced.

Unfortunately there are still no reliable medical tests these days
that are totally accurate in diagnosing appendicitis, and for this
reason, if the surgeon suspects a diseased appendix; their first
instinct is to remove it before problems develop. Yes, it's a risk to
remove a healthy organ, however given the alternatives most surgeons
would err on the side of caution.

Removing an appendix in young children is another proposition
altogether and surgical statistics indicate at least 9% of children who
have an appendectomy had a healthy appendix. One of the reasons
children's appendixes tend to be healthy when removed is due to the
fact that it’s a lot more difficult to diagnose appendicitis in kids.

If you feel you are the victim of medical malpractice, contact a
highly qualified medical malpractice attorney and discuss your case.
The attorney will be able to explain your rights and assess your case.

Christopher Mellino is a Cleveland Malpractice Lawyer specializing
in Cleveland Medical Malpractice cases in Ohio. To learn more about Cleveland medical malpractice, Cleveland malpractice lawyer, Cleveland medical malpractice, Cleveland medical malpractice lawyer, visit Christophermellino.com.