There are a number of things that can go wrong during any type of surgery. Knowing about the risks that are involved with surgery, patients often are relieved once making it through surgery without any complications and they look forward to moving on with their lives. Unfortunately, there are also a number of things that can go wrong after surgery if patients are not adequately monitored during recovery.
A woman is now suing a hospital in Joliet, Illinois, for negligence after a nursing mistake caused the woman to lose both of her legs. The woman was recovering from weight loss surgery and anticipating getting her health under control. Now she is confined to a wheelchair and commented that she will never be able to dance with her husband again.
The woman’s weight loss surgery was performed at Provena St. Joseph Medical Center. Weeks after her surgery, the woman went back during Thanksgiving weekend for additional treatment. After she received treatment for a perforation, she complained to a nurse about pain and tingling in her legs.
The nurse did make note of the patient’s discomfort, but failed to take any other action to address the concern. Thirty-six hours later, a surgeon was called to amputate the woman’s legs because she had developed severe blood clots.
According to the lawsuit, the doctor who amputated the woman’s legs later asked hospital staff why he was not called sooner to try to save the woman’s legs. The lawsuit claims that staff neglected to monitor the patient more closely because of the holiday weekend.
“I just wanted to live longer, live better,” said the woman. Now the Illinois woman must live with the consequences of the nursing error for the rest of her life.
Source: Daily Mail, “Woman loses both her legs after undergoing weight loss surgery,” John Stevens, Sept. 19, 2011
