Delay in repair surgery for 2 broken bones leading to pressure sores and development of DVT and pulmonary emboli

£16,500

The Facts

The client fell from a ladder and sustained a fractured shoulder and broken leg. He was taken by ambulance to his local hospital A & E department.

Both injuries were identified and he was admitted under the care of the orthopaedic team. However there was a delay of 9 days in undertaking repair surgery.

The client suffered no adverse orthopaedic outcome. However, because of the delay he developed pressure sores and a DVT. This lead to pulmonary emboli causing to his lung tissue.

Thankfully the lung damage was limited. Nevertheless, he was off work for 2 months longer than he would have been had there been no delay in the original surgery. Furthermore, he has been left with an increased risk of abnormal blood-clotting in the future.

Allegations

• There was an unreasonable delay in undertaking repair surgery for the fractures
• This delay caused him to develop pressure sores and a DVT which led to pulmonary emboli and lung damage.

Result

After obtaining expert opinions from orthopaedic and haematology specialists, we wrote a pre-action letter of claim to the defendant hospital NHS Trust. The Trust admitted liability and causation. Terms of settlement were agreed, with the client receiving £16,500 in compensation plus legal costs.