[ad_1]
A woman was left partially paralyzed and in pain after a surgeon placed screws in her spine in the wrong place.
Stock image of a group of surgeons working with a patient in a hospital. Source: Pexels
A report from the Deputy Commissioner for Health and Disability states that an orthopedic surgeon performed initial surgery on the woman, in her 60s, at a private hospital in 2017.
A CT scan after a fall the following month revealed a screw error.
The woman continues to live with pain and paralysis of the lower body despite multiple procedures by the surgeon in public hospitals to correct it.
Her daughter said her mother’s life “changed forever at the hands of a qualified surgeon.”
“She is now a T1 paraplegic totally dependent on all the cares of life, described by the spinal unit consultant as a ‘tragic surgical outcome.’
Deputy Commissioner Rose Wall said the surgeon did not treat the woman with reasonable care and skill.
He also criticized the district health board for the delay in getting help from his Acute Pain Service team.
Wall said the Medical Council should consider reviewing whether the surgeon is competent.
The surgeon said they accepted “responsibility for the sad outcome” and offered sincere condolences to the woman and her family.
