Infections
1) Surgical treatment after Achilles tendon injury and infection
A patient suffered an Achilles tendon injury following a stretching trauma. The tendon was repaired surgically and the limb was placed in a cast. Soon, an infection developed in the operated site. The patient had to stay hospitalised for two weeks for intravenous antibiotic treatment, and a skin transplantation operation was performed on the site of the operation. Following the procedure, the site of infection calmed down, and the infection has not had an effect on the outcome of the treatment of the damaged Achilles tendon.
The repair of the Achilles tendon injury by surgery was medically indicated. The technical implementation of the surgery was also appropriate. Infections were prepared for during the operation by administering anti-infective medication. In spite of this, the infection developing at the site of the operation could not be prevented.
The compensability of the damage caused by the infection is evaluated by taking into account the predictability of the infection, type and severity of the disease or injury being treated, and the severity of the injury caused by the infection and the patient's health in other respects.
Procedures on the Achilles tendon region are associated with an elevated risk of infections of the site of the operation. In this case, the infection could be relieved through antibiotic treatment and skin grafting, and the infection did not have an effect on the outcome of the treatment.
The case does not constitute a compensable patient injury.
2) Infection after anterior cruciate ligament repair
A patient underwent a corrective operation for anterior cruciate ligament rupture by laparoscopy, and the ruptured ligament was replaced by a ligament graft. An infection developed in the knee region after the operation, and because of it, the patient was hospitalised for intravenous antibiotic treatment, and the site of the operation was lavaged and cleaned several times over three weeks. The ligament graft was lost in spite of this, and a new operation had to be performed later. The functionality of the knee remained unsatisfactory.
The laparoscopic procedure on the knee and the ligament graft inserted in it were medically indicated. The technical implementation of the surgery was appropriate. The infection could not be avoided.
The compensability of the damage caused by the infection is evaluated by taking into account the predictability of the infection, type and severity of the disease or injury being treated, and the severity of the injury caused by the infection and the patient's health in other respects.
Laparoscopic surgery of the knee in an otherwise healthy patient does not involve significant risk of infection after the operation. In this case, the treatment resulted in the need for surgical cleaning operations and the outcome of the original treatment was lost. The outcome was not good in all respects even after the corrective operation, and this resulted in permanent injury to the patient.
It was an infectious injury eligible for compensation.