Six figure compensation relating to a delay in diagnosis of appendicitis

We successfully acted for a young lady in respect of a failure to diagnose her appendicitis, which subsequently ruptured, causing four quadrant peritonitis.

Our client attended A&E with symptoms including abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea. However, we argued that there was a failure to record, note and act upon the abnormal blood results and abnormal abdominal x-ray as well as a general failure to consider the whole clinical picture before her discharge from hospital. We argued that our client should have been admitted to hospital whereupon her appendicitis would have been diagnosed before it perforated a few days later, resulting in less extensive surgery. She would have avoided an open procedure called a laparotomy, a further open surgery and multiple ultrasound guided drainages of left and right sided pleural effusions (a build-up of fluid in the lining of the lungs).

As a consequence of the negligence, our client suffered a prolonged recovery. She was left with an unsightly 22cm midline abdominal scar. She developed abdominal and pelvic adhesions which affected her fertility. Our expert evidence sadly advised that our client’s ability to conceive naturally had been compromised to the extent that she would now only realistically be able to conceive by way of IVF.

Our client additionally suffered psychologically. She suffered from flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, irritability and a reluctance to engage in social interactions, depressed mood, loss of self-confidence, reduced concentration, fatigue, insomnia, reduced concentration and self-consciousness in relation to her scar. She was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and an Enduring Personality Change.

Whilst the Defendant admitted liability, they disagreed that our client’s appendix perforated after her admission to A&E and therefore suggested that our client had not suffered significant injuries as a result of their negligence. However, in securing the appropriate expert evidence and putting forward convincing arguments in respect of the injuries sustained, we managed to secure a six figure sum in compensation for our client.

Victoria has been an absolute pleasure to work with over the last couple of years. She took on my case from a firm of solicitors whose initial assessment was that I had no chance of either a financial win or even acceptance of liability from the defendants. Throughout the process she has been supportive, informative and allowed my partner and I to have closure and the hope to one day have a future family. I highly recommend Victoria and her team.

Client

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