Joelziev,
I think I have what you're looking for now. While there is evidence
that abdominal trauma, such as a seatbelt, can cause rupture of the
appendix, there is not much evidence that a ruptured appendix 25-30
days past incident could be caused by abdominal trauma. The reason
that they're probably not related comes from this information.
"What causes appendicitis?
Appendicitis occurs when the interior of the appendix becomes filled
with something that causes it to swell, such as mucus, stool, or
parasites. The appendix then becomes irritated and inflamed. The blood
supply to the appendix is cut off as the swelling and irritation
increase. Adequate blood flow is necessary for a body part to remain
healthy. When the blood flow is reduced, the appendix starts to die.
Rupture (or perforation) occurs as holes develop in the walls of the
appendix, allowing stool, mucus, and other substances to leak through
and get inside the abdomen. An infection inside the abdomen known as
peritonitis occurs when the appendix perforates. An irritated appendix
can rapidly turn into an infected and ruptured appendix, sometimes
within hours. A ruptured appendix can be life threatening. When the
appendix ruptures, bacteria infect the organs inside the abdominal
cavity, causing peritonitis. The bacterial infection can spread very
quickly and be difficult to treat if diagnosis is delayed."
http://web1.tch.harvard.edu/cfapps/A2ZtopicDisplay.cfm?Topic=Appendicitis
Therefore, if the ruptured appendix were to be medically related to
the seat belt injury, it would have had to present itself with the
pain and inflation within days of the accident. Now, if the pain and
whatnot started within a few days of the accident, maybe, but it's
more than likely since it took that long to present itself and
progress, it was just a natural occurrence.
It could have been caused by the fact she may have had a viral or
bacterial infection, like her medical professional(s) and her appendix
is where it spread to and that caused the appendicitis. However, the
whole point is that since so much time passed between the rupture and
the accident, and the fact it is noted in her medical records that she
was ill with a virus, it's not likely to stand up in court that it was
the seatbelt only that caused the accident.
Now, however, like you had mentioned prior, that malpractice could
have been involved, is a possibility. It is quite strange that someone
with that much abdominal pain in the area of an appendix, who stated
time and time again she was not getting better, that it was getting
worse, was never checked for appendicitis. I, along with most people,
would think of the appendix if there were abdominal pain in that area,
and I'm not a doctor. You may have a case on that front. If you'd like
to pursue this further, I'll list some medical malpractice lawyers in
your area at the bottom of my answer.
Now, as far as medical articles that suggest or state abdominal injury
can lead to appendicitis.
Here is an article from Jan 10, 2004 by I Karavokyros
(ikarav@panafonet.gr), E Pikoulis, and P Karamanakos.
Department of Surgery, Medical School, University of Athens, Greece.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=14752690
Here is another article talking about the relationship between the two.
G Ramesh, PW Ho, KL Ng, and T Jegan.
Department of Surgery
Hospital Melaka
Jalan Mufti Haji Khalil
75400 Melaka.
"A young boy presented with history of abdominal trauma. History and
initial clinical findings suggested a soft tissue injury. Due to
increasing abdominal pain and fever, we proceeded with an exploratory
laparotomy with a diagnosis of intra-abdominal injury, at which we
found a perforated appendix. Appendicitis following blunt abdominal
trauma needs high index of suspicion."
Here is another article along the same lined from Turkey.
K Tekin (koraytekin@hotmail.com), MC Ozek.
Ogretim Gorevlisi
Pamukkale Universitesi
Tip Fakultesi
Genel Cerrahi A.D.
Denizli
"In the literature, we have found a few case reports and a
retrospective clinical study related to abdominal trauma as a possible
factor in etiology of acute appendicitis. Whether blunt abdominal
trauma can be the inciting event leading to acute appendicitis or only
is a coincidence is not clear. We represent a case of perforated acute
appendicitis after blunt abdominal trauma. Although a causative
relationship between trauma and appendicitis cannot be proved in our
case, we suggest that appendicitis should be considered in the
patients with blunt abdominal trauma for not only medical but also its
potential legal implications."
Here is another article very similar to that one.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=8678783
This article on "Reasons for delay of the diagnosis of acute appendicitis"
should be a good read for you in this case
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=6701739
And another,
Appendicitis after blunt abdominal trauma: cause or coincidence?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=9007469
Also, here is a webpage that lets you know some of the best places to
search and how to look at medical information and relate it to your
situation
http://www.doereport.com/20001130janabeth.php
Now, as far as seeking legal advice, that is something that is
entirely up to you, but incase you decided to do so, here are some
links that may help you get started.
Legal advice and help for anyone who feels they may have a seatbelt related injury.
http://www.seatbeltdefects.com/
"Personal Injury Group - PA: Personal Injury Group has lawyers
available in Pennsylvania to represent those injured in accidents. Our
lawyers are all experienced in personal injury cases and aim to
maximize the recovery for their clients. Our lawyers are able to give
you a free and confidential evaluation. It is important to understand
your rights and ability to seek compensation. Our lawyers all work on
contingency and therefore no legal fees are payable unless you are
successful. Take the initiative and use the form below to contact one
of our lawyers and find out if they can provide representation for
you."
Through the email form, they will offer you advice for free.
http://www.personal-injury-group.com/pennsylvania
The Law office of Lee A. Ciccarelli
"We are a full service Personal Injury & Criminal Defense law firm located in
West Chester, Pennsylvania with other offices in Kennett Square,
Downingtown and Paoli, serving clients throughout Pennsylvania,
including Chester, Delaware & Lancaster Counties, who have suffered
personal injuries, serious injuries, and wrongful death arising from
automobile and motor vehicle accidents, work injuries, workers
compensation, doctor negligence, medical malpractice, products
liability, slips, trips, and falls, social security disability and dog
bites."
They also do a free evaluation.
http://ciccarellilaw.com/
In addition, here is the Google search I used to find the lawyer information.
://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&c2coff=1&q=seat+belt++injury+PA&btnG=Search
So, there you have it joelziev, I doubt this instance of a ruptured
appendix was caused by the seatbelt trauma from a month prior, but,
there still is a relationship and also maybe a malpractice case none
the less. I hope you get this situation resolved easily, and
everyone's quality of life gets to where it should be.
If this answer requires further explanation, please request
clarification before rating it, and I'll be happy to look into this
further.
Nenna-GA
Google Answers Researcher |
