Inadequate Medical Care Leads to Hysterectomy
Medical negligence case
A Leeds woman has received compensation after an incorrect diagnosis led to an unnecessary hysterectomy.
Miss X, 17, was pregnant with her first child and looking forward to motherhood.
On the morning of 3rd September 2006, she was admitted to Leeds general infirmary with abdominal pain, vomiting, not passing urine and no foetal movements. The midwives incorrectly thought Miss X had a urinary tract infection and then failed to adequately monitor her deteriorating condition or consider an alternative diagnosis.
An ultrasound was eventually performed late in the evening, which showed that the baby had died and that the placenta had become detached (known as a placental abruption).
An emergency caesarean section was carried out and the baby was still born. Unfortunately, the medical staff were unable to stop the internal bleeding caused by the placental abruption and so they had to carry out a sub-total hysterectomy in order to save Miss X’s life.
The hospital admitted that they had failed to provide Miss X with the required standard of care by failing to diagnose earlier that a placental abruption had occurred. Had they diagnosed the problem sooner Miss X would not have had to undergo a hysterectomy.
Miss X has since received a formal written apology from the hospital and an out of court settlement of compensation was agreed, with help from Margaret Poyner of Irwin Mitchell’s specialist Medical Negligence Team.
She said, "Although it would never have been possible to save the baby’s life, the fact that Miss X has had to undergo a hysterectomy has had a profound ongoing effect on her life.
"Miss X has found it extremely difficult to come to terms with what has happened and the fact that she will never be able to have her own children. She will have to look to surrogacy or adoption when she decides to start a family and will also likely undergo premature menopause."
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