Colchester hospital pays out £50,000 for failing to remove pregnant woman's appendix

A hospital has paid £50,000 to settle a case after it failed to remove a pregnant woman's appendix correctly.

The patient, who has not been named, was left in agony for six weeks after surgery for appendicitis after scans later revealed part of the organ was still inside her.

The woman, who was 17 weeks pregnant at the time of the operation at Colchester Hospital in Essex, said she had decided to take legal action after feeling her complaints had been "brushed under the carpet".

She first attended the emergency department at the Essex hospital in August 2019, suffering from severe abdominal pains. She was diagnosed with appendicitis and underwent surgery to remove her appendix.

However, over the following six weeks she continued to suffer from "excruciating stomach pains". She eventually returned to hospital and was initially admitted to the maternity ward and told she may be going into labour early.

It was only when a doctor sent her for an MRI scan two days later that it was discovered a sizeable part of her appendix remained, said her lawyers. That had caused an infection to develop, leading to sepsis, and she required emergency surgery and a spell in intensive care to recover.

Medical negligence lawyers Hudgell Solicitors launched legal action on behalf of the woman, resulting in the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Colchester hospital, agreeing a £50,000 out-of-court damages settlement.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "Obviously I just thought my appendix had been completely removed, so to then suffer more excruciating pains was very worrying.

“When I was on the maternity ward they said it may be the beginnings of early labour, but I knew it had to be something else, especially as I’d already had two children previously.

"I was in so much pain and getting really short of breath. I was on pain relief, and I feel like the doctor who came in and sent me for an MRI saved my life."

Since the incident she now has anxiety over her health and that she still has "flashbacks" and worried about her health, she said.

According to her lawyers, East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust admitted it had been negligent not to identify and remove the full appendix in the initial surgery, causing the woman to suffer from ongoing appendicitis, the need to undergo further invasive surgery, and require time in the ICU.

Associate Solicitor Hayley Collinson, of Hudgell Solicitors, said described not removing the appendix completely as "the most basic of errors".

She said: "Experts said our client was fortunate to have a viable pregnancy given all that she had been through.”

Dr Angela Tillett, chief medical officer at the trust, said: “We always work hard to provide the best patient care possible and, whilst we are unable to comment on individual cases, we would always investigate any concerns in relation to patient care.”

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