THE TYPE OF CASE WE DO
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VASCULAR INSUFFICIENCY; LOWER LIMB; DELAY IN DIAGNOSIS; BELOW KNEE AMPUTATION
T V (1) DR R (2) NOTH STAFFORDSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST (2004)
£800,000 for 38 year old woman following below knee amputation due to delay in diagnosis and treatment of ischaemic lower limb.
Aged 31 Miss T repeatedly attend her GP and local hospital complaining of severe pains in her leg and foot and coldness to touch.
Miss T was variously diagnosed with muscular pain or soft tissue injury.
Six weeks after her first complaint of cold and painful lower limb Miss T's condition had deteriorated such that she was also suffering from discolouration.
The GP continued to diagnose soft tissue injury.
8 weeks after first complaining Miss T was diagnosed by the vascular team at hospital as suffering from critically ischaemic lower limb requiring amputation.
BREACH OF DUTY
It was Miss T's case that the GP and hospital staff failed to take her lower limb pulses repeatedly on assessment and that had proper assessments been undertaken her vascular deficiency would have been identified earlier.
CAUSATION
It was Miss T's case that earlier identification of her vascular deficiency would have allowed treatment that would have avoided amputation.
OUTCOME
Admissions were made as to the failure to identify and treat the vascular deficiency sooner. However no admissions were made as to whether earlier treatment would have avoided the amputation.
The case was settled without trial for £800,000 representing full recovery of compensation on the basis that Miss T would have maintained a fully functioning lower limb.
