Boyes Turner’s medical negligence team have secured an admission of liability and an NHS apology for a 68 year old below knee amputee.
Our client had a past medical history of thrombosis and popliteal vascular disease which required him to remain on long-term warfarin (an anticoagulant or blood thinner) to prevent further blood clots in his leg.
When he needed surgery for an unrelated problem he was not told that this would increase his risk of thrombosis and femoral artery occlusion. His warfarin had to be stopped to enable the operation to take place but he wasn’t given the preventative anticoagulants that should have been administered until he could go back onto the warfarin, nor was he seen by a vascular surgeon.
Re-starting warfarin without low molecular weight heparin cover increases the blood’s tendency to clot until the full effects of the warfarin are achieved – a process which normally takes several days.
Unaware of the increased risks or the need for the additional anticoagulants, the claimant restarted his warfarin after the operation. The following day he had severe pain in his foot which was cold to touch.
He attended A&E and was found to have no pedal pulses and limited movement. A diagnosis of ischaemia was made. He was transferred to another hospital where seven days of unsuccessful attempts were made to clear the clots with intravenous heparin but he then required a below knee amputation.
After investigating the claim, Boyes Turner’s medical negligence lawyers put the case to the defendant NHS hospital. The defendant apologised and admitted liability for the claimant’s negligent treatment. Judgment on liability has been entered and we are now working with our experts to value the claim.
