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

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

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

  • Posted on

£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.

    Contact Us





    Please let us know which day and timeslot is best for us to contact you to arrange your initial appointment


    Call us on

    0800 410 1410