October 21st, 2009
A woman is taking legal action against a surgeon who she says ruined her life after what should have been a routine operation.
Vivienne Edwards went into the Whittington Hospital in London in September 2006 for a procedure to correct her lower back pain.
Dr Dhinh Nguyen said he could scrape away some bone and leave the patient pain-free.
However, when Ms Edwards awoke, she had severe bowel and bladder problems, nerve damage, clawed feet and numbness in her arms and legs, the London Evening Standard reports.
She realised that Dr Nguyen must have severed a nerve, but he denied that the problems had been caused by the operation.
The patient decided to sue the surgeon and Whittington Hospitals NHS Trust for clinical negligence four months ago and her solicitors believe that she could receive as much as £500,000 in compensation after complaints emerged from other patients.
"I’ve become very solitary. My life revolves around hospitals. It’s horrible. I’m only 60," Ms Edwards commented.
For clinical negligence claims to be successful, solicitors must prove that a duty of care existed between the patient and the medical professional and that he or she breached this.
Tags: Arms And Legs, Bladder Problems, Clinical Negligence, Duty Of Care, Four Months, Hospitals Nhs Trust, London Evening Standard, Lower Back Pain, Ms Edwards, Nerve Damage, Nguyen, Numbness, Patient Pain, Routine Operation, Solicitors, Whittington Hospital, Woman
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July 9th, 2009
A woman who was forced to have her leg amputated after errors occurred during a routine operation is to receive compensation.
Karen Flory, then 37, was admitted to Heath Road Hospital in February 2007 to have some swollen tissue removed from her right knee, the East Anglian Daily Times reports.
However, the blood supply to her leg was not properly monitored and Ms Flory had to have her leg amputated below the knee.
She is now unable to work and continues to feel pain in her leg.
Ipswich Hospital admitted liability and has now agreed to a payout of £1 million, which Ms Flory said will make it easier to overcome the practical tasks that her disability makes hard.
"The size of the settlement reflects the fact that I am not yet 40 and the whole of the rest of my life has been irrevocably changed by the amputation," she added.
Anyone whose operation goes wrong as a result of errors by medical staff may be eligible for compensation and should seek the advice of a solicitor specialising in clinical negligence claims.
Tags: 1 Million, 1m, Amputation, Blood Supply, Clinical Negligence Claims, Disability, East Anglian Daily Times, Flory, Ipswich Hospital, Medical Staff, Rest Of My Life, Routine Operation, Solicitor Specialising, Woman
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July 2nd, 2009
A hospital has apologised to a family and agreed to pay compensation following an incident in which a man died.
Gary Rayner, 46, went into Sunderland Royal Hospital on June 26th 2007 for a routine operation on his lymph nodes after previously beating cancer, the Sunderland Echo reports.
However, on June 30th, Mr Rayner began sweating profusely and then went into cardiac arrest.
Although a crash team was called, they could not resuscitate him and he died at 23:00 BST.
A subsequent investigation revealed that staff failed to provide anti-clotting drugs until June 28th, by which time it was too late for the patient.
Les Boobis, medical director and consultant surgeon of City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, gave evidence to support this and it was ruled that Mr Rayner’s family should receive compensation.
A spokesperson for the hospital said a compensation settlement had been agreed with the family of the deceased.
Clinical negligence occurs when a professional in the health service provides care that is deemed to be below standard and this causes physical injury, death or distress.
Tags: Cancer, Cardiac Arrest, City Hospitals, Clinical Negligence, Consultant Surgeon, Crash Team, Drugs, Foundation Trust, Health Service, Hospital Negligence, Injury Death, Lymph Nodes, Medical Director, Rayner, Routine Operation, Spokesperson, Subsequent Investigation, Sunderland Echo
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June 24th, 2009
The husband of a woman who died during what should have been a routine operation has said he is to sue the authorities he holds responsible.
Barbara Dockery, 56, went into Good Hope Hospital in June last year in order to have an operation to remove her gallstones, the Birmingham Mail reports.
Dr Mohammed Ahmed advised her to have a surgical endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) procedure, which involves having a flexible, telescopic camera called an endoscope put into the mouth and down to the bile duct.
Special instruments can be passed inside the endoscope to allow the surgeon to remove gallstones from the bile duct, Bupa attests.
However, Ms Dockery developed post-ERCP pancreatitis and died on July 10th.
"I still can’t come to terms with what happened. We were told this was going to be a routine surgical procedure," commented Terry Dockery.
He criticised Dr Ahmed for carrying out the procedure – which he said carried too high a risk – and said he is to sue for clinical negligence.
Tags: Authorities, Bile Duct, Bupa, Clinical Negligence, Dockery, Dr Ahmed, Endoscope, Gallstones, Good Hope Hospital, Mail, Mohammed, Pancreatitis, Quot, Risk, Routine Operation, Special Instruments
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