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We have successfully concluded a medical negligence claim for one of our clients.

In 2018, during a pregnancy, a patient experienced ongoing and severe abdominal pain and nausea. She was also losing blood from her rectum. She was advised to visit her GP by her midwife. She visited her GP on several occasions during her pregnancy complaining of rectal bleeding and abdominal pain. She was advised to “watch and wait.” The symptoms continued and became worse throughout the pregnancy. She eventually presented herself at hospital. Her abdominal pain and nausea persisted.

She had her baby safely in autumn of 2018. The symptoms of abdominal pain and rectal bleeding worsened, and she was unable to tolerate the pain any longer.

In late 2018 she attended hospital and was admitted for investigations. An abdominal ultrasound scan was performed in addition to other investigations, and she was informed that she had abscesses on her liver. She was advised that she had black spots on her liver. No explanation was given for these spots and no other investigations were carried out. Intravenous antibiotics were administered. A needle aspiration was performed for the liver lesions. Samples were sent for microbiology but not cytology. This was a failure which was later admitted by the hospital.

She was discharged from hospital with intravenous and oral antibiotics. Over the course of the next 6 weeks, she received 6 courses of oral antibiotics in addition to intravenous antibiotics. The abdominal pain persisted.

She was to be reviewed in clinic 6 weeks after discharge. This appointment was never made, and she became lost to follow up for a period of time.

In early 2019 she was admitted to hospital with worsening abdominal pain and nausea in addition to persisting rectal bleeding. Investigations were performed.

She was later diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and commenced chemotherapy. However sadly she passed away as a result of her illness.

A claim was brought by the deceased’s next of kin on behalf of her estate.

Liability was thankfully accepted, and a settlement reached for the estate prior to any proceedings being issued.

The difficulty with these cases is establishing medical causation, that means that the patient would have had a better outcome overall. Sadly, in this case, the medical experts felt that the patient would have had the same outcome however there had been a delay which had increased the pain and suffering. As such compensation was secured for the estate.