A woman in her 70s passed away after what should have been a straightforward slipped disc operation because doctors failed to recognise ongoing blood loss was due to an aortic injury.
She underwent multiple blood transfusions over a period of two weeks before she sadly died from organ failure.
Following her death, her widower ‘C’ brought a medical negligence claim with the support of Miriam Bi, a specialist medical negligence solicitor at Medical Solicitors.
Case Summary
In April 2021, C’s wife underwent routine spinal surgery - a right L3/4 microdiscectomy - intended to relieve back pain. Initially, her recovery appeared stable, though she experienced low blood pressure and a raised heart rate in recovery. These symptoms were managed and she was discharged home.
Four days later, she saw her GP complaining of ongoing pain. That same day, she collapsed at home and was taken to hospital by ambulance. Doctors noted her pale appearance, dizziness, and low blood count, but she was thought to have anaemia or a possible gastrointestinal bleed. She was given blood transfusions, referred to gastroenterology, and plans were made to discharge her.
Over the next two days, however, her symptoms persisted. She remained pale, dizzy, and her heart rate was continually high. Following a funny turn, she fell and banged her head. Despite repeat transfusions, her haemoglobin levels kept dropping - a sign of ongoing internal bleeding - but the underlying cause of her symptoms wasn’t identified until much later.
By 1st May, her condition worsened. She suffered severe abdominal pain and further investigations were ordered.
A CT scan finally revealed the cause: an active bleed from the abdominal aorta at the site of her spinal surgery. This was a serious and rare complication, caused by an iatrogenic (surgery-related) injury to the artery. During her spinal surgery, her aorta - a major blood vessel that carries blood from the heart - had been injured. She was bleeding internally.
She was rushed to theatre for emergency repair of the aortic rupture but by then she had already lost a great deal of blood.
Afterwards, she was admitted to intensive care where, over the following days, she developed abdominal compartment syndrome. She required multiple further operations and suffered complications affecting her kidneys, lungs, and liver.
Despite intensive treatment, her condition continued to deteriorate. Just over two weeks after her original surgery, she sadly passed away due to multi-organ failure.
C brought a claim for medical negligence, arguing that there had been delays in recognising and diagnosing his wife’s internal bleeding. The case settled for £20,000.
