Irwin Mitchell’s medical law team secured £11,000 for a woman left scarred after the incorrect administration of an antihistamine.
Our client, Stephanie, had been suffered from stomach trouble for some time when she attended Worthing Hospital in September 2010. During her examination, staff gave her an antihistamine via a tube into the back of her hand.
Her hand began to burn immediately after the drug had been administered, but her complaints were ignored and her hand soon started to become bloated. She lost feeling in her hand, which became discoloured. The wound where the tube had been inserted turned black – a nasty scar remained there on the back of her hand, and the numbness persisted for a number of months.
Stephanie contacted us for help in making a case against the hospital and Marcos Eleftheriou, a clinical negligence expert based in our London office, was able to assist her. It became clear that the nurse in question had administered the antihistamine straight into the tissue of her hand, rather than the vein: this was a failure to follow to the Trust’s policy for the administration of medications into the vein.
The Trust were at fault for the mistake that led to the permanent scarring on Stephanie’s right hand, and Marcos worked hard to secure £11,000 in compensation for Stephanie.
He said of the case: “Stephanie’s unfortunate injury came about during what should have been a simple medical process. It shows the importance of hospital staff paying attention to patients’ complaints, as well as the necessity of nurses’ familiarity with Trust policies.
“Staff could have taken action to reduce the extent of her injury if Stephanie’s complaints of pain had been treated seriously. Sadly, she’s been left with an unsightly scar on her hand which will be a permanent reminder of the sub-standard treatment she received at hospital.”
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