Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Ureter damage by abortionists, during abortions and other surgery

Someone was searching for cut ureter lawsuit cases. I checked my web site for cases in which the woman suffered a damaged ureter. (For those of you who don't know, the ureter is the tube in the body that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder.)

The damage Virginia Wolfe suffered to her ureters during an abortion by Dr. Lillian Jones were only a footnote to her tragic case. Virginia suffered such massive blood loss due to numerous lacerations of her internal organs that she suffered fatal brain damage. (Bexar County Forensic Science Center Autopsy Report, Case # 98-1003)

Stacey W. alleged that she underwent an abortion by Dr. Ralph Robinson at Summit Medical Center in April of 1992. She suffered a perforated uterus, and her right ureter was suctioned from her body. Yikes! Stacey was rushed to the hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery to remove the fetus and her damaged kidney. (The Birmingham News 10-15-92)

L.G., alleged that in 1974 she suffered an accidental suture of her left ureter during a hysterectomy being performed by abortionist Kenneth Wright. The patient subsequently required cystouethroscopy, left retrograde pyelogram, and left uretero-neocystotomy, with reimplantation of the left ureter to the bladder, also endured continuing pain and suffering and need for medical care. (LA County Superior Court Case No. C 109353)

Patient "Anne" suffered many injuries, including damage to both ureters, during a third-trimester abortion performed by Steve Brigham.

"Jolene" suffered injuries during an abortion performed by Charles L. Johnson. In his attempts to repair the damage, Johnson managed to put a kink into Jolene's ureter that had to be corrected by other surgeons.

The following cases are not on my site, but are from my notes:

The medical board disciplined abortionist David Benjamin for multiple instances of malpractice. One of those cases was that of Patient D, age 43, who was treated by Benjamin for a benign tumor in January of 1991. Benjamin injured her ureter during a hysterectomy that he performed during other scheduled surgery. Benjamin had not informed Patient D that he might perform a hysterectomy, and he failed to inform her of the injury he'd done to her ureter. Benjamin was also disciplined regarding his treatment of Patient E, age 41. Benjamin performed exploratory surgery on November 2, 1990, due to masses in her abdomen. During the surgery he did damage to her ureter. The board also noted Benjamin's inaccurate and incomplete operative report; the patient was under anesthesia nearly 10 hours, but, "Many hours in the operating room are unaccounted for in the operative report." (Medical Board Order No. BPMC-93-79) Benjamin subsequently performed the fatal abortion on Guadalupe Negron.

Mabel s. alleged that abortionist Nabil Ghali obstructed her ureter with a suture and failed to tie-off a blood vessel during a 1978 hysterectomy. (Cuyahoga County Court Case No. 215554; Campbell KY Circuit Court Case No. 79-CI-899) Ghali was one of the doctors that sent Ellen Williams home to die of peritonitis after her abortion.

Faye W alleged that in March of 1972, abortionist Harold Hoke informed her that lab work from a prior routine pelvic exam revealed that she had cancer; he recommended surgery as soon as Faye could enter the hospital. "Shortly afterward" Hoke told Faye he would be away for several weeks and would contact her when he returned to his office. Faye returned for an office visit in April, and asked about the nature and location of the cancer. Hoke denied that he had diagnosed cancer. On May 1 Faye returned, and Hoke arranged for her to enter the hospital on May 23 for a hysterectomy to treat the cancer. Hoke never explained to Faye "the seriousness or location of the cancer." during the hysterectomy Hoke cut one ureter and sutured both of them shut inadvertently; it was immediately apparent that Faye's ureters had been blocked because of cessation of urine output. Hoke would not examine Faye although she and her husband insisted that he should diagnose the cause of her symptoms. Finally, after over a day, Hoke sought a consult with a urologist at the insistence of Faye's husband. Faye required surgery to repair her ureters. (Mecklenburg County Superior Court Case No. 73CVS3081)

Jaquieta G alleged that her ureter was sutured shut during a hysterectomy performed by abortionist James G. Morris at West Texas Hospital March 30, 1980, causing permanent kidney damage. (Lubbock County District Court Case No. 104503)

Phyllis S., age 35, mother of three, alleged that she underwent a second trimester abortion in Orange County, California in February of 1989, performed by Dr. Nathan Scott. Scott admitted that he did not inform Phyllis of the risks of the procedure because he assumed that she already understood the risks. Scott extracted what he thought was umbilical cord, but this proved to be a portion of Phyllis' sigmoid colon. A general surgeon was summoned to the operating room. He performed a temporary colostomy and a hysterectomy. Phyllis was dismissed from the hospital, and developed flank pain. A tube insertion in her right kidney was necessated due to injury discovered in her right ureter. Repair surgery was performed in July of 1989, during which her colostomy was taken down and doctors discovered an avulsion injury to her right ureter. Phyllis required a remedial procedure. [Orange County Circuit Court Case No. 601087]

I found such a horrible botch job by Dr. Rebecca Stanley, including ureter damage, that I'll do a separate page about it at RealChoice.

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