A man received £9,000 in compensation after a stiffener used to insert a kidney stent was mistakenly left in his body for five months, resulting in multiple infections including urinary sepsis.
This caused pain, suffering and repeated hospital admissions.
He was supported by trainee medical lawyer, Natasha Lindley of Medical Solicitors, to bring a medical negligence claim against the NHS trust responsible for his care.
Case summary
In May 2022, the claimant ‘C’, who has kidney failure, was seen in radiology for reinsertion of a kidney stent and was discharged the following day.
Ureteric drains are typically replaced every three months to reduce the risk of obstruction and infection.
However, during the procedure, a device known as a “stiffener,” which is used to help insert the drain, was mistakenly left inside the stent. This stiffener should have been removed at the time of insertion. The error went unnoticed for several months.
In June 2022, C began experiencing stabbing pain around the site of his stoma along with reduced urine output, requiring hospital admission.
Over the following months, he continued to suffer repeated health problems including lower back pain, discoloured urine, fever and shortness of breath. He was admitted to hospital with urinary sepsis and required antibiotic treatment.
His health deteriorated again, resulting in hospital admission for another episode of sepsis. During this admission, doctors discovered that the stiffener used during the May 2022 procedure had never been removed and was still inside the stent. The retained device was finally removed and the stent replaced with antibiotic cover.
Despite this, C continued to experience further complications. In November 2022 he was readmitted to hospital with pus draining from his urostomy wound and was again diagnosed with urinary sepsis, requiring IV antibiotics.
He later suffered another episode of urosepsis in January 2023 and required a further hospital admission. As a result of these complications, his stent exchanges had to be increased in frequency and he remained under ongoing urological care.
Litigation
An internal investigation by the hospital trust later classified the incident as a “never event” which is a serious patient safety incident that should not occur if proper procedures are followed.
The investigation confirmed that the stiffener should have been removed at the time of the original procedure and that clinicians had also failed to recognise that it had been left in place.
C brought a medical negligence claim for the pain and complications he experienced while the stiffener remained inside the stent.
Expert medical evidence supported that the retained device and delayed stent change caused repeated obstruction, blood in his urine, and multiple bouts of urinary sepsis during the five months it remained in place.
The hospital trust eventually admitted that the stiffener should have been removed during the procedure and accepted that the delay contributed to C’s complications.
Following negotiations, the claim settled in November 2024 for £9,000, which included compensationfor pain and suffering as well as lost earnings and care provided during his illness.
