Miss JF was a fit and healthy 24 year old who was training to run the Chicago Marathon. She was participating in a 22 mile charity fun run when she began suffering with intermittent pain in her lower abdomen, which had lasted a few days.

The pain eventually became so severe it took her breath away and made her nauseous. Her mother, a nurse, was very concerned and took her to the A&E department at Pinderfields Hospital.

Hospital Investigations

The doctors in A&E examined Miss JF, and took blood and urine samples. They suspected she had Appendicitis.  Miss JF was transferred to the Surgical Assessment Unit and was later diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI). She questioned the diagnosis as she’d had a UTI before and the symptoms were very different.  Her comments were dismissed. She was discharged with 3 days of antibiotics and told to return for a scan.

The following morning she returned to Pinderfields Hospital where she had an ultrasound scan and was told the results were clear. She trusted the doctors and continued taking the antibiotics.

The course of antibiotics came to an end, but the pain had not subsided. It became so unbearable that she attended an emergency doctor’s appointment and expressed her concerns about it being appendicitis and not a UTI.  She was referred to the Surgical Assessment Unit immediately. On arrival at Pinderfields Hospital, she was given painkillers and told that she would need a scan.

Delayed Diagnosis

Following a CT scan, she was diagnosed with Acute Appendicitis and scheduled for surgery.

For Victoria, the diagnosis had been made 5 days too late. By this time, her appendix had burst causing a bacterial infection. She had open surgery to remove her appendix, which should have been a keyhole procedure. Part of her colon had to be removed due to the infections, as it had caused some of the bowel to rot. The surgery took much longer than expected. She was no longer looking at a 3 day recovery period.

The surgeon commented that it was one of the nastiest appendicitis cases she had seen and was shocked at how long it had been endured.

Miss JF required antibiotics following surgery as she continued to be extremely unwell with a high fever and vomiting. She underwent a grueling recovery period and spent six days in hospital before being discharged home, where she spent a further 4 weeks off of work recovering before a phased return.

Unfortunately she was medically unfit to travel and had to cancel her trip to Chicago and forfeit the marathon she had trained so hard for.

The surgery left her with three large scars on her abdomen and she continues to suffer from frequent and sudden bowel habits.

Sadly this impacted her mental health. She went from being extremely fit, active and independent to being practically immobile and relying on family to care for her. Her self-image and confidence were also affected by the scarring.

Clinical Negligence Claim

Ison Harrison were instructed to investigate a Clinical Negligence claim. Expert evidence was obtained and a claim was put forward to the hospital.

The hospital admitted there was a failure to diagnose appendicitis and this misdiagnosis resulted in a more invasive procedure. Our expert evidence concluded that as a result of the delay she suffered an extended recovery period, during which she required care and assistance. The hospital made no admissions in relation to this and she was put to strict proof on this point.

Following negotiations, Ami Law of Ison Harrison agreed a settlement with the Defendant in the sum of £75,000. The settlement provides compensation for her pain, suffering and loss of amenities and the care she required during her recovery. It includes the financial losses she suffered and the costs of future treatment.

If you have concerns about the medical care that you or a loved one have received and want to have a chat to see if we can help you, please contact a member of the Clinical Negligence Team on 0113 284 5000 or alternatively email clinneg@isonharrison.co.uk .