Sarah* was prescribed ibuprofen and naproxen by separate medical professionals. This was despite both being contraindicated because of her history of duodenal ulcer.
What happened to Sarah?
Sarah went to A&E with sudden pain in her left calf. After being checked over, she was diagnosed with muscular calf pain and prescribed ibuprofen by the first defendant. She was prescribed this without any questions about her medical history.
Her pain continued over the next few days, so Sarah phoned her GP. Sarah’s GP prescribed her a 28-day course of naproxen tablets. Again, there were no questions about her medical history.
With Sarah’s history of duodenal ulcers, medication such as ibuprofen and naproxen are contraindicated. In medicine, a contraindication is a reason not to prescribe medication to a person because of the harm it can do to them. The decision to prescribe this medication was negligent.
After Sarah had the fourth dose of naproxen, she began to experience abdominal pain that was so severe she collapsed. She was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with a perforated bowel.
Sarah needed to have a midline laparotomy on the day she was admitted and was later transferred to the High Dependency Unit.
After the operation, Sarah had further complications. She developed type one respiratory failure, which resulted in her being intubated and ventilated. Sarah also developed sepsis and necrotising fasciitis of the abdominal wall.
In total, Sarah had nine unnecessary laparotomies because of the original negligent prescriptions. She spent six weeks in the hospital, four and a half of those weeks in critical care.
How has this impacted her life?
Sarah has been left with an extensive midline scar that she finds embarrassing. She also has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which has developed into a generalised anxiety disorder and depression.
She also experiences indigestion, nausea, and severe abdominal pain. Sarah will need further surgery because of a recurrent hernia in her abdomen.
Because of the negligence she’s experienced, she can no longer work. This has severely impacted her mental health.
Sarah can no longer complete daily tasks such as cleaning and cooking. She’ll need ongoing daily assistance to complete these tasks.
How did we help Sarah?
Sarah came to our medical negligence team to claim compensation for the two failures by medical professionals. The compensation would be put towards getting Sarah the right support to assist her daily.
Saydie Farrell, an associate solicitor, worked with Sarah to help her get answers, access to the right support, and compensation to fund that support.
Saydie proved that there were two failures by two separate medical professionals. The first was when Sarah was prescribed ibuprofen without checking her medical history. The second was prescribing naproxen, again without checking her medical history.
Both acts of negligence resulted in the pain and suffering Sarah went through They left her with physical and mental scars she may never fully recover from.
One defendant admitted liability for their negligence, but the other denied liability. Because the second defendant denied liability, a court date was set.
Saydie was able to negotiate a settlement of Sarah’s claim for £750,000. This money will be put towards appropriate provision for care and assistance for the rest of her life and cover any future surgery costs. It also reflects the loss of earnings Sarah has had and will continue to have for the rest of her life.
In addition to working with Saydie, Sarah worked with our Court of Protection team to set up a Personal Injury Trust. This makes sure her compensation doesn’t affect the right to any benefits she’s entitled to now she can’t work.
Our Support and Rehabilitation Coordinators also worked with Sarah to help her find the right support. The team are trained medical specialists and are experts at sourcing all physical, psychological, and financial support for clients.
Expert opinion
About Sarah’s claim, Saydie said: “What happened to Sarah was avoidable if the two medical professionals took time to ask about her medical history and/or reviewed her medical records appropriately.
“Sadly, they didn’t. Now, Sarah’s life has been completely changed, and she’ll have to cope with the physical and mental scars left by their negligence. She can no longer work and requires support to do simple daily tasks.
“The compensation she’s received can’t make up for what’s happened to her, but it’ll help her access the support she needs and help pay for future surgery, as well as the care and assistance she now requires.”
*Not real name used.
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