Perineal tears can lead to complications post-delivery. These will be exacerbated if the injury was not initially diagnosed by medical practitioners.
Perineal tear complications
Perineal tears are a natural part of childbirth. Tears will vary in severity, and medical practitioners will classify a tear as either a first, second, third or fourth degree tear. A first degree tear is the least serious and involves a superficial laceration of the perineum. A fourth degree tear is the most severe and involves a deep tear that runs through the perineum and into the anal sphincters.
Post-delivery complications can be experienced by all women who have torn. However, problems are more prevalent in those who have sustained a third or fourth degree tear, as these injuries involve the anal sphincter. Common complications that can be suffered after a tear include:-
- Pain in the perineal region, particularly when urinary or defecating;
- Pain during sexual intercourse (called dyspareunia);
- Infection;
- Breakdown of the stitches/wound;
- Faecal urgency and leakage;
- Inability to control wind (flatus);
- Faecal incontinence.
Recovering from tearing complications
If a tear is repaired shortly after the injury occurs, a woman stands a good chance of making a full recovery. The aforementioned complications may be experienced in the months post-delivery, but will often improve with time. Unfortunately, however, there are those who will undergo a good repair in a timely fashion but remain symptomatic in the long-term.
There are also women who will develop complications after giving birth, for which they seek medical assistance. Only then are they told that they actually have a serious tear that was not diagnosed and repaired at the time of the birth. Missed tears can lead to terrible complications, including complete faecal incontinence.
Missed tears medical negligence
A missed perineal tear will usually amount to medical negligence. This is because a perineal tear should be diagnosed and repaired shortly after the delivery. There are very few circumstances in which it is acceptable for such an injury to remain unnoticed.
This medical error will lead to serious complications, such as those described above. A patient will therefore have suffered pain and suffering because of medical incompetence. This makes her the innocent victim of medical negligence, for which she deserves to be compensated.
If you have developed complications because of a missed tear, please get in touch with us today to discuss the options available to you. If we believe there is a case to be answered, we will help you pursue the financial redress you are legally entitled to.
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