Woman left unable to eat after botched op
ABIRMINGHAM woman who will have to be fed through a tube for the rest of her life has won a six-figure payout from a Birmingham hospital trust.
Mandy Owen says she has been left in ‘constant agony’ after keyhole surgery went wrong.
Ms Owen, 54, was known to have a complex medical history as a result of a number of gynaecological operations.
Doctors at Edgbaston’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital informed her in May 2015 that she would require surgery for the removal of a kidney and her ureter.
She underwent surgery at the QE, but a blood vessel tore in her small intestine, and a vein and artery were blocked, stopping blood flow to parts of her spleen and pancreas.
Ms Owen was unable to return home for five months.
Now, more than four years on,
University Hospitals Trust, which runs the QE, has admitted liability and agreed a substantial sixfigure settlement.
There will also be annual sixfigure payments to fund her necessary long-term care.
“The problems I have faced following the surgery have completely destroyed my life,” said Ms Owen.
“I am in a state of constant agony, I am unable to work, I require so much help from family and friends – and this is also expected to affect my life expectancy.
“The past few years have been incredibly difficult for me and I am now in significant pain every single day.
“Not only do I still require intravenous feeding but I’ve had a host of other complications including infections related to the intravenous tube and other abdominal issues which have resulted in repeated admissions to hospital.”
Following the initial operation,
Ms Owen’s health deteriorated, and doctors discovered the tear in her blood vessel.
She was taken into intensive care where her condition continued to worsen.
A CT scan later revealed that there was an obstruction to her spleen and pancreas, and she needed two procedures to drain fluid from her abdomen.
Now she has no small bowel so requires a tube to drain the contents of her stomach into a bag.
Ms Owen, from Bartley Green, says she now hopes the trust has learned from the mistakes in her care.
“Nothing will change what has happened to me,” she said. “I just hope that, by speaking out, the same mistakes that happened to me are not repeated. I wouldn’t wish what has happened to me on anyone.”
Ms Owen instructed lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, who secured a lump sum settlement along with annual payments for the care and therapies she now requires.
Jade Elliott-Archer, expert medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Birmingham office, who represents Ms Owen, said: “Mandy has faced an incredibly difficult few years as a result of the complications she endured and it is likely that her pain and suffering will now continue for the rest of her shortened life.
“The admission of liability and settlement means that Mandy can access the vital support she requires to get the best from life.”
A spokesman for the UHB NHS Trust said: “The trust takes responsibility for all of its patients very seriously and we are sorry that Ms Owen did not receive the care she should have done on this occasion.
“The trust and its clinical teams have reflected on these events and, following a meeting with Ms Owen and her legal team in June, agreed to pay her compensation.
“We wish Ms Owen all the best for the future.”