Breast op blunder gave me unwanted implants
“At this point, I felt shocked and very upset and frustrated as it was completely unexpected.”
Donna, from Swindon, made the difficult decision to have surgery after her mother survived breast cancer at 50 and her aunt, also 50, died from the disease.
She said the hospital’s error left her in severe pain and suffering “a significant psychological reaction”.
Donna had asked for “temporary expanders”, which stretch the skin and pectoral muscle, to be implanted, a spokesman for lawyers Irwin Mitchell said. But instead she received permanent sub-pectoral breast implants without her consent.
She was forced to wait 16 months for the unwanted implants to be removed and had to undergo further surgery to remove a life-threatening blood clot which developed after the second operation. “We put a great deal of trust in medical staff, relying on them for expert care,” she said. “I just feel totally let down and angry by the care I received. I suffered a great deal of pain and trauma for months because of the implants that I never signed up for.
“By speaking out I hope my story reminds hospitals of the importance of upholding patient consent.”
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust denied acting negligently during Donna’s procedure, but said the issue of whether she had consented fell below “reasonable standards”.
Donna sued the trust following her corrective surgery in February 2016, but the claim was settled out of court. Medical negligence lawyer James Pink said: “We call on the trust to ensure it learns lessons from Donna’s case and realises the importance of ensuring policies and checks surrounding patient consent are upheld at all times.”
A spokeswoman for Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We were given consent by the patient for implants in 2014, we did not act negligently and the case was settled in 2016.
“We have clear and effective consent processes which outline the risks that patients may face during and after any surgery, including the common risk of blood clots. Based on this case, we are further strengthening our consent processes.”