Delay in diagnosing and treating CES results in a seven figure sum
The injury
As a result of a delay in diagnosing Cauda Equina Syndrome, our client R, has been left with
- persistent weakness in his legs,
- numbness from the waist downwards
- intermittent tingling on his legs
- no sexual feeling
- an inability to achieve an erection
- lost bladder sensation
- bladder incontinence
- significant bowel dysfunction
- significant neurological damage in his upper back.
He will need to rely on a stick in later life, he is likely to need to rely on self-catheterization in the future and now needs to rely on a trans anal irrigation system to manage his bowels. His pain is so severe that he requires treatment from a Pain Management Consultant. The combination of physical disabilities and pain has caused profound fatigue and depression.
Our client had to give up full-time work as a project manager and now works part-time with a different company and will require some care in later years.
How can MDS Medical Law Help you?
While no amount of compensation will ever be enough for your or a family member’s suffering, if you or a loved one has been affected by healthcare negligence leaving them or you with cauda equina syndrome, we can help you through the legal process for investigating your concerns against a healthcare professional and your negligence claim if there is one.
We will do this by providing legal representation on a no-win-no-fee basis.
to investigate what happened, help you get some answers, help you secure compensation, help seek justice for you and help to secure your or your loved one’s future.
What Happened to our client?
Our client called an ambulance one evening experiencing a high temperature and extreme pain in his back. Whilst waiting for the ambulance he lost feeling in his legs and experienced numbness in his buttocks. He was taken to St James’s University Hospital in Leeds where he underwent an MRI scan before being transferred to Leeds General Infirmary and kept in overnight. He experienced an episode of incontinence before being reviewed by a doctor the following morning. The Claimant was advised that he had a problem with the discs in his back and was discharged without any other advice than to rest.
By the time he reached home he had lost control of his bowels which he put down to being on strong pain killers. Our client continued to have problems with numbness in his buttocks and struggled to urinate. Following a further consultation with his GP a week later he was referred to hospital and was diagnosed with an epidural abscess which required decompression surgery. Following surgery, he required 5 further procedures to wash out and stitch the wound to his back leaving him with a 26cm scar. He was in hospital for 8 weeks in total.
MDS Medical Law were instructed to investigate whether he should have been diagnosed with an epidural abscess sooner, and if so, why he was not.
MDS Medical Law obtained evidence from experts in the fields of microbiology, radiology and neurosurgery and found evidence of negligence as there was a failure to consider the possibility of infection as a reason for our client’s condition. If this had been considered, an enhanced scan would have been carried out which would have led to the identification of an epidural abscess. Our client would then have undergone surgery the same day, rather than 1 week later and he would have made a full recovery.
The Defendant Trust eventually admitted delay in diagnosing the epidural abscess and that this delay caused our client to develop Cauda Equina Syndrome and arachnoiditis.
MDS Medical Law achieved a substantial settlement for our client and whilst this cannot fully compensate for the pain and suffering that has been experienced it will enable him to obtain the therapies and care that will help him live a more comfortable life in the future .
Nationally Recognised Specialists in Cauda Equina cases
We can help you investigate your Cauda Equina Case and help you to recover compensation for your physical and psychological injury together with the cost of future treatment, rehabilitation, loss of earnings (if unable to work as a result of the injury), vital aids and equipment and for any care or support that is required as long as it can be attributed to the negligence.
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Disclaimer
Whilst our case studies are designed to give an indication of the outcomes that can be achieved in these circumstances, the compensation awarded in individual cases can vary significantly due to a range of factors, including the severity of injury, effects on life expectancy and financial impact, for example. For more information, contact us today.
Our Approach
We will support you, guide you and be your voice throughout.
If you are concerned about the medical treatment that you or a loved one has received, please contact us and one of our specialist team will assist you.
