California children can be injured due to another person's negligence, and some of these injuries are so severe that they require surgery to correct. Your child may be facing a long recovery and extensive rehabilitation, placing a financial burden on your family.
If your child sustained an injury that requires surgery, contact the child injury attorneys at Woods Williford, P.C. today at (888) 340-2440.
Types of Surgery
If your child needs surgery, their doctor will determine if they are treated as an inpatient or an outpatient. In either case, the doctor performs the surgery in a hospital or surgical center. The difference is if your child must spend at least one night in the hospital for monitoring following the procedure.
Inpatient surgery requires your child to spend at least one night in the hospital following the procedure due to the high risk of complications or the complexity of the surgical procedure. In some cases, your child may be admitted to the intensive care unit for constant monitoring.
In outpatient surgery, your child can return home the same day. Your child's doctor will choose this option if they do not anticipate complications and believe that you can manage your child's pain. This allows your child to recover in the comfort of their own home. If your child develops any complications, take them to the hospital immediately.
Your child will be closely monitored in the post-operative recovery room for either inpatient or outpatient surgery. If they have trouble waking up from the anesthesia or develop breathing problems, they may have to stay overnight in the hospital, even if they were scheduled for outpatient surgery.
Common Injuries From Accidents
Some common injuries in children that require surgery to repair include:
- Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Tears: The surgery to repair an ACL tear involves taking tissue from elsewhere in the knee to reconstruct the torn ligament.
- Meniscal Tears: The meniscus requires surgery to repair if your child experiences ongoing pain and knee instability. This surgery can be performed arthroscopically by inserting a small camera and surgical instruments through a small incision. The surgeon may trim off part of the damaged tissue, or they may stitch part of the meniscus together.
- Kneecap Dislocation: When your child's patella dislocates repeatedly, he or she may need the ligaments that hold the patella in place surgically reconstructed.
- Shoulder Dislocation or Subluxation: If your child dislocates their shoulder, the ball of the shoulder joint falls completely out of the socket. If the child has a shoulder subluxation, the ball falls partially out of the socket. In severe cases, your child may need surgery to repair torn ligaments or correct the shoulder's position.
- Severe Fractures: The surgical procedure required to repair a severe fracture depends on which bone your child breaks and the type of break they have.
Children can be injured severely and require surgery due to a variety of accidents.
Motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of childhood injuries which end up requiring surgery. Children may sustain serious injury to their chests, abdomens, organs, backs, or heads.
Falls can also cause serious injuries that require surgery to correct, especially if your child injures their head, neck, back, or hipbones. Falling from a high chair is one of the leading causes of injuries requiring surgery in infants.
Contact a California Child Injury Attorney
If your child was injured and required surgery in California, contact Woods Williford, P.C. for compassionate legal representation. Our experienced team fight for just compensation for your child's injuries and rehabilitation after surgery. Call us today at (888) 340-2440 or fill out our online form for a free consultation.