Woman seriously injured by careless surgical stitch
Heidi Brotherton settled the claim of a woman who sustained a serious bowel obstruction after a stitch was negligently placed through her small bowel during a routine cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal), resulting in a critical readmission for emergency surgery.
Ms A underwent a cholecystectomy to remove her gall bladder at the private Spire Cheshire Hospital. While suturing up, the surgeon mistakenly placed a stitch through her small bowel, which went unnoticed.
When she woke from the procedure Ms A was told that everything had gone as planned and she was discharged and given anti-sickness medication for the nausea that is common after a cholecystectomy.
The following day Ms A felt very unwell and started vomiting bile, but she assumed this was an after effect of the surgery, so she was not initially concerned. Her symptoms continued and her worried son called Spire but was told that Ms A's sickness was due to the cholecystectomy.
Ms A's health deteriorated over the following days and her son took her to A&E at Warrington General Hospital. She was incredibly weak and disoriented from the constant vomiting and diarrhoea that she has very little memory of being taken to hospital.
A CT scan carried out in A&E finally revealed the surgical stitch placed in her small bowel six days earlier.
Ms A underwent an emergency laparotomy procedure to remove the obstruction in her small bowel and was taken to ICU where she was placed in an induced coma. Thankfully the procedure was a success, and she gradually woke from the coma the following day.
She was shocked and extremely upset to learn of the mistake that put her life at risk. Today she still suffers from pain in her abdomen and a she has also developed an incisional hernia at the site of her laparotomy, which requires further surgical intervention. Having always been very active, she must now be cautious with her movements. She has a large scar across her abdomen which is a constant reminder of her ordeal.
She instructed Heidi in a medical negligence claim against Spire Hospital and a settlement was reached quickly, without an admission of liability. Ms A was awarded damages of £50,000 to compensate her for her injuries.
After the settlement, Ms A said: "I would like to thank everyone at Fieldfisher, especially Heidi Brotherton who made a bad situation feel a lot better. I would recommend the firm to anyone - they are very caring and easy to talk to. Thank you."
Contact us
For further information about surgery negligence compensation claims and medical negligence claims, please call Heidi Brotherton on 0330 460 6763 or email Heidi.Brotherton@fieldfisher.com.
Alternatively
- You can speak to our medical negligence lawyers on freephone 0800 358 3848
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