I have a son who had surgury on his hand a little over 2 years ago and his hand had a bulge at the base of his finger .It just broke open today ..

First, definitely take pictures of the thread inside the bulge in your son's hand so you can establish later on what it looked like.  I would then have your son examined by a different surgeon, who can identify what the material is and provide an opinion as to why it is there and what treatment options might be available for your son.  If your son's hand will not heal properly, or if he will have some loss of functionality or use of his hand for the remainder of his life, or if he now has a disfiguring scar, he may have a claim for malpractice.  However, please be aware that in Pennsylvania, the statute of limitations for your son (if he is over 18 years old) to file a medical malpractice claim is 2 years from the date that he knew or should have known that there was something wrong with his hand following the surgery.  So, if he first began to report to his former doctor that he thought something was wrong with his hand more than 2 years ago, his claim may very well be time-barred, even though the lump just opened up recently.  If your son is still a minor (i.e., under 18), then the 2-year statute on his claim does not begin to run until his 18th birthday.  Feel free to call me to discuss this matter in more detail, if you would like.  Our firm has many years of experience in handling medical malpractice cases in Pennsylvania.  Michael J. Davey, Esquire Eckell, Sparks, Levy, Auerbach, Monte, Sloane, Matthews & Auslander, P.C. 344 West Front Street Media, PA 19063 (610) 565-3700 x 271  mdavey@eckellsparks.com www.eckellsparks.com