Our client suffers from polycystic kidney disease and whilst pregnant, developed the complication of a clot in her lungs, known as pulmonary embolism. The usual anticoagulation treatment was started but our client continued to be unwell and so had a temporary IVC filter (blood filter) inserted under local anaesthetic. The plan was to remove this after she had delivered her baby.
Happy Healthy Baby
In very happy news, our client delivered a healthy baby at 34 weeks and both mum and baby were doing well.
Our client expected the filter to be removed before she was discharged but was told that she could have it done as an outpatient and so went home with her new baby.
Failure to remove the temporary IVC filter
The filter was eventually removed after five months following delivery of her baby. By this stage, the filter had been in place for eight months. Our client was given local anaesthetic and an attempt to remove the filter was undertaken but this was not possible. The procedure was terrifying for our client who of course was awake throughout.
Two months later, a second attempt to remove the filter was made, again under local anaesthetic. After 2½ hours of trying to remove the filter, which was very traumatic for our client, it was decided that the filter could not be safely removed and would have to remain in permanently.
Haematology expert evidence
We instructed a haematology expert who reported that as a result of the IVC filter not being removed in a timely fashion, our client will have to take lifelong anticoagulation therapy.
Nephrology expert evidence
We were concerned that the long-term anticoagulation therapy could increase the risk in respect of our client’s polycystic kidney disease and so instructed a consultant nephrology expert. We were reassured that this should not cause her to suffer a worse outcome in terms of her kidneys which was good news.
Psychiatric impact
Our client understandably suffered psychologically as a result of the failure to remove the filter and the fact that it was now permanent. Our expert psychiatrist diagnosed our client as suffering from a moderate generalised anxiety disorder and our client was extremely motivated to recover from this and so started treatment by way of CBT as soon as it was possible for her to do so.
Liability admitted – breach of duty of care
A Letter of Claim was sent to the Defendant, and the good news is that they admitted that it was a breach of duty of care to fail to remove the filter and that this resulted in the filter becoming permanent and our client requiring permanent anticoagulation therapy.
The Defendant provided a formal apology which meant a lot to our client.
£20,000 settlement agreed
Our client was happy to accept a settlement offer in the sum of £20,000 and felt that this would make a difference to her life.
Our client’s pleasure at the outcome is reflected by her Trustpilot review in which she stated:
“Liz and her team at Oliver & Co, were absolutely outstanding throughout my whole claim … nothing was too much of an ask and correspondence was dealt with very quickly, Liz and her team went above and beyond to win my claim … highly recommend … absolutely A*”.
We can help
If you or a loved one has experienced medical negligence, contact our team to discuss your case. We are here to help you seek justice and in ensuring accountability in patient care. Call us on 01244 312306 or complete our contact form and we will get in touch with you.
