Insurer’s Spin Defense to Bile Duct Transection

Insurer’s Spin Defense to Bile Duct Transection, by Thomas Dunbar, October 2007 (Article will download as a PDF file)

Surgical errors may occur during the removal of a gallbladder. Prior to 1990, a bile duct transection was very uncommon. Now, surgeons use laparoscopic (as opposed to open) techniques to perform various operations. Transecting the wrong bile duct in a laparoscopic gallbladder surgery has been one of the most prevalent sources of surgical malpractice claims over the past 20 years. This article alerts the reader in techniques that insurance companies use to mislead the public.