BARWON HEALTH SUED FOR $6M

Allegation woman left paralysed after operation at Geelong hospital.

A FORMER Geelong hospital patient is suing Barwon Health for almost $6 million over allegations it bungled an operation in 2014.

Belmont woman Jessica Horvath, through her litigation guardian, alleges there were failures with the supply of anaesthetics that led to injuries including a spinal cord infarct and paralysis.

The 34-year-old claims she was left unable to walk after the surgery in April 2014, which involved a bilateral through-knee amputation following complications from her diabetes condition.

The purpose of the operation was to fit Ms Horvath with leg prostheses.

Documents obtained from the Supreme Court contain claims the then 28-year-old lost at least two units of blood during the procedure.

According to her statement of claim, the level of blood loss was “significant” given her diabetic vasculopathy condition.

A series of allegations have been levelled at an anaesthetist involved in the operation, including claims that she failed to:

RECOGNISE that the plaintiff’s systolic blood pressure placed her at risk of spinal cord infarction;

MAKE any inquiry of the surgeon regarding the volume of the patient’s blood loss; and,

ARRANGE for red blood cells to be brought to the operating theatre after they had been crossmatched for Ms Horvath.

Barwon Health is defending the allegations, with a judge-only trial scheduled to be held in Geelong next year.

On Monday, a spokesman said: “As this matter is part of ongoing legal proceedings, Barwon Health is unable to provide any comment at this stage.”

Slater and Gordon, acting for Ms Horvath, has filed a list of damages that amounts to $5.93 million.

The majority of the figure is derived from future medical expenses that it says are necessary as a result of the operation, including treatment from a general practitioner, pain specialist and psychologist.

In an affidavit, Ms Horvath’s lawyer, Jacob Sutton, said it was alleged the anaesthetic management provided during the surgical procedure “fell below” the standard of reasonable care and skill.

The operation came one year after Ms Horvath underwent a bilateral below-knee amputation at Geelong hospital due to neuropathic pain and recurrent leg ulcers.

The initial surgery passed without incident, according to the statement of claim.

It said the subsequent operation was aimed at enabling Ms Horvath to walk.

The parties have been ordered to attend mediation by February next year.

If that fails to resolve the dispute, a trial will be held sometime after April 1 next year.