All pregnant women should receive the highest standard of healthcare to protect their own and their unborn children’s wellbeing, but various oversights in this case sadly resulted in medical negligence and the loss of the baby.
When a Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust admitted to failing to treat a burst appendix during pregnancy, Medical Solicitors assisted in securing £92,500 in medical negligence compensation for our client’s mistreatment and tragic loss.
Appendicitis During Pregnancy
Appendicitis is swelling and infection in your appendix that, if left untreated in hospital, can cause it to burst. The condition can be harder to identify in expectant women, since many symptoms overlap with those of pregnancy:
- Abdominal pain
- Sickness
- Loss of appetite
- Constipation or diarrhoea
- Peeing more than usual
- High temperature
While appendicitis should always receive urgent treatment, the risks associated with late diagnosis are higher for pregnant women, since a burst appendix can cause a miscarriage or otherwise negatively affect the wellbeing of unborn babies.
Healthcare professionals can perform several tests to diagnose appendicitis during pregnancy, including:
- Taking a medical history to differentiate signs of other possible conditions
- Examining abdominal rigidity and tenderness
- Checking white blood cell count
- Checking red and white blood cells in urine
- Imaging tests, such as MRI and CT scans
Appendicitis in pregnant women is typically treated with antibiotics or surgery (an appendectomy). When diagnosed early, the condition can usually be addressed successfully, protecting the health of the mother and baby.
Undiagnosed Burst Appendix During Pregnancy
In December 2015, the woman was 16 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to hospital with abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, and placed on IV fluids. But medical staff assumed this was just a symptom of pregnancy and discharged her. Her pain continued at home, and she was readmitted two days later with severe sickness and dehydration.
An ultrasound showed fluid collecting on her left side, but an MRI scan could not determine the cause. Four days later, a laparoscopy examination found a ruptured appendix. Medical staff drained the fluid, but her condition deteriorated. Three weeks after the woman first sought medical treatment, she lost her baby.
A CT scan also showed more fluid, which had become infected. The woman was taken to theatre where she underwent a consecutive caesarean section and appendix removal surgery. She remained in an induced coma, on a ventilator, for a week and was treated for sepsis twice before finally being discharged in January 2016.
Pursuing Negligence for Burst Appendix Complications
With our help, the woman successfully brought a medical negligence claim against the Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust, which acknowledged various failures. They admitted that the burst appendix should have been considered sooner and that this would have led to earlier diagnosis and treatment, avoided prolonged discomfort and sepsis, and prevented the loss of her unborn child. Medical Solicitors helped our client win £92,500 in compensation.
Has Medical Negligence Caused an Infection in Your Burst Appendix?
If you have suffered medical negligence related to appendicitis, a stillbirth or a neonatal death, our compassionate legal experts can help you claim compensation. Under our Conditional Fee Agreement, if your case does not succeed, you will not need to pay anything. But whatever the outcome, you can depend on our team to act with the utmost empathy and professionalism, especially when medical negligence results in the loss of a baby. To start a conversation about a potential claim, please contact us today.