Neurosurgery

Neurosurgery (nervous system, spinal cord and brain)

Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence Solicitors – No win no fee Neurosurgery Claims (central nervous system, spinal cord and brain)

“Lack of oxygen during neurosurgery ended up being catastrophic”

The central nervous system comprises the spinal cord and brain – and messages from the brain are transmitted via the spinal cord to various parts of the body.

Any damage to the spine or brain can result in loss of both physical and cognitive function.

Brain injury

There are six different areas of the brain which control basic executive functions such as thinking, movement, memory and sight – the frontal lobe (thinking planning, personality), the temporal lobe (language, memory), the occipital lobe (sight), the parietal lobe (perception, maths, spelling), the sensory cortex (senses) and motor cortex (movement).

Brain injuries can occur as a result of falls from height, blunt trauma to the head and head impacts in accidents, such as road accidents or sports injuries.

Impact injuries commonly affect the frontal lobe and the effects of front lobe injury are called executive dysfunction – and may include symptoms such as poor planning, mood swings, lethargy or apparent loss of motivation, inappropriate social behaviour and memory problems.

Injuries to other areas of the brain may result in loss of sight, speech or movement – as often happens in the case of stroke or oxygen deprivation during surgery or birth.

Spinal injury

Just as the effects of brain injury are determined by the area of the brain which has suffered damage, the type of disability or loss of bodily function a patient suffers from spinal cord injury depends on which area of the spine has been damaged.

The spinal cord is protected by vertebrae and is also divided into different regions which cause different disabilities following injury– cervical vertebrae in the neck (loss of mobility in limbs), thoracic vertebrae in the chest (paralysis in upper torso and legs) and lumbar vertebrae in the lower back (paralysis in legs, hips and pelvis, incontinence, loss of sexual function).

The two most common umbrella terms for a range of disabilities caused by spinal injury are paraplegia (paralysis of one/two limbs or upper body/limbs) and quadriplegia (paralysis of four limbs, lower/upper body).

Duncan Lewis clinical negligence solicitors can advise patients who have suffered brain injury or spinal cord injury as a result of medical negligence on how to make no win no fee neurosurgery claims, including claims relating to:

• Anaesthetic mistakes and errors
• Birth injuries
• Failure to take X-rays and scans
• Failings in patient monitoring (eg heart rate, blood pressure during surgery)
• Failure to respond to patient complications (eg heart attack)
• Hospital acquired infections
• Laparoscopy negligence
• Misdiagnosis of brain/spinal injury
• Oxygen deprivation
• Pre-operative patient evaluation errors (eg failure to take accurate patient record or act on patient’s notes)
• Poor post-operative patient care
• Stroke (eg delays in treating patient)
• Surgical negligence (eg incompetent brain/spinal surgery, surgical errors, human factors, failure to follow protocol in emergency).

Making a Neurosurgery Claim

Patients who have suffered injury to the nervous system, spinal cord or brain during surgery or a medical procedure can make a no win no fee claim for up to three years from the date of diagnosis of brain injury or spinal cord injury.

Children who have suffered injury or disability as a result of brain surgery or spinal cord surgery can make a compensation claim up to the age of 21.

In cases where a patient has suffered catastrophic or life changing injuries as a result of surgical damage to the central nervous system, Duncan Lewis clinical negligence solicitors can advise families on how to make a no win no fee Serious Injuries Claim or Fatal Injuries Claim.

Bereaved families whose loved one has lost their life as a result of negligent neurosurgery may be able to make a no win no fee Fatal Injuries Claim – the Duncan Lewis clinical negligence team offer expert and sensitive advice to bereaved families on how to make fatal injuries compensation claims.

Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence Solicitors – No win no fee Neurosurgery Claims (central nervous system, brain, spinal cord)

Duncan Lewis is one of the UK’s leading no win no fee law firms and can advise both NHS patients and private patients who have suffered injury as a result of negligent neurosurgery on how to make a no win no fee compensation claim.

Because of the limitation period for making neurosurgery claims, Duncan Lewis clinical negligence solicitors advise patients to get in touch as soon as possible to discuss making a claim. In cases where a patient has suffered serious or catastrophic injury, families can contact the Duncan Lewis clinical negligence team as soon as they feel able to.

Duncan Lewis can also advise the parents or guardian of a child who has suffered further injury as a result of negligent neurosurgery on how to make a no win no fee compensation claim before the child is 21 by acting as their Litigation Friend.

Duncan Lewis clinical negligence solicitors are also able to advise on rehabilitation and access to therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy, as well as agencies able to advise on adaptations to the home and welfare benefits.

For expert legal advice on no win no fee Neurosurgery Claims, call Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence Solicitors on 020 7923 4020.