ADS
A woman is suing a hospital where surgeons left a four-inch plastic tube inside her, resulting in her losing half a lung when it was removed.
Julie Jones, 51, underwent surgery to have her spleen removed in October 2009 and thought she had made a full recovery.
But she claims doctors at St James’ University Hospital, in Leeds, had left a tube inside her lung which threatened to kill her at any moment if it pierced her liver.
Julie Jones claims surgeons left a tube inside her lung during surgery to remove her spleen
The problem was only spotted when Ms Jones, who moved from Leeds to Devon in 2011,
began to feel seriously unwell and went to hospital for a scan and chest X-ray.
began to feel seriously unwell and went to hospital for a scan and chest X-ray.
Staff at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital immediately detected the tube and advised a non-invasive operation to try and remove it.
But after six failed attempts they decided to operate and take out half of her lung, leaving the mother-of-four disabled.
Ms Jones said: 'When the doctor told me that I would have to have part of my lung removed I asked him what exactly the "foreign body" was.
'The doctor just told me I’d been horribly let down on my last operation and showed me the X-ray of my chest.
'When I saw the tube in my lung I was immediately sick, I couldn’t even eat anything for three days because I was so repulsed.
After six failed attempts to remove the tube, surgeons were forced to take out half of her lung, leaving the mother-of-four disabled
Ms Jones said: 'The surgeons told me that the tube was only one centimetre away from my liver. At any minute it could have slipped down and pierced it, killing me'
'How on earth could a team of ten surgeons have missed a four-inch plastic tube with shiny metal clips - it’s terrifying and disgusting.'
She added: 'The surgeons told me that the tube was only one centimetre away from my liver.
'At any minute it could have slipped down and pierced it, killing me.'
Since the operation last November, Ms Jones, a former cleaning supervisor, says she has been left breathless, lethargic and unable to walk more than a few paces.
She said: 'I used to be really active; I used to love walking and I worked for a living.
'Now I can’t even take more than a few steps until I’m knackered.
She added: 'Through negligence, those doctors have ruined my life - I won't ever be the same again'
'I have basically been left disabled for the rest of my life because those surgeons in Leeds left a plastic tube inside me.
'I don’t know if those surgeons were half asleep, drunk or what. But there were ten of them involved in the operation - ten of them - and nobody noticed it. It’s terrifying.'
She added: 'I think people need to know that this sort of thing does happen. How many people might already be dead?'
Ms Jones is now suing The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust for medical negligence.
She said: 'I’m never going to get much better than I am now, I’m never going to have normal life again.
'Through their negligence, those doctors have ruined my life - I won’t ever be the same again.
'Just a simple thing like walking to the shops is impossible for me and it’s all the fault of those surgeons - how could they let this happen?'
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has confirmed Ms Jones was a patient at St James’ University Hospital and that they are looking into a legal claim dating back to 2011.
A spokesman said: 'We are unable to comment on this case as a legal claim is ongoing.'
A spokesperson for the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: 'I can confirm
this patient had an operation at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital where a foreign body was removed from her chest.'
this patient had an operation at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital where a foreign body was removed from her chest.'
ADS
No comments:
Post a Comment