Dawn was 36 years old when she underwent a hysterectomy. Unfortunately, she made a poor recovery immediately following the operation and had to undergo an exploratory laparotomy the following day. During this second operation the surgeon inadvertently put a suture on to her right ureter which stopped her kidney from working properly.
Dawn’s health failed to improve after this second operation and four days later she developed pneumonia. Her potassium levels then became dangerously low due to fluid overload and she fell unconscious. Dawn then suffered a cardiac arrest and required resuscitation.
It was not until some weeks later that it was discovered that Dawn had a misplaced suture on her ureter. By this point this had caused ureteric damage, injury to her right kidney and bladder. Dawn then developed a vaginal fistula and suffered from incontinence.
Dawn had to undergo further hospital treatment which included the formation of a nephrostomy and a complete bladder reconstruction. She required botox injections into her bladder and thereafter she underwent a TVT procedure.
In addition to problems with impaired renal and bladder function, Dawn also suffered with memory loss and personality change, which impacted on her career, home life and relationships. It was subsequently found that Dawn had suffered a permanent brain injury as a result of her earlier cardiac arrest.
Following treatment Dawn tried to return to her job as a primary school teacher, but struggled to perform her normal duties and found that she was unable to progress with her career as a consequence of her injuries.
Dawn sought help from specialist clinical negligence team at Shoosmiths, who assisted her in bringing a claim for her injuries against the hospital. The hospital initially offered to settle the claim for £75,000. With Shoosmiths’ assistance, however, Dawn managed to finally settle her claim for six times this amount to reflect the seriousness of her injuries and the long-term consequences on her career and home life.
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This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It is recommended that specific professional advice is sought before acting on any of the information given. © Shoosmiths LLP 2025
