An NHS hospital has admitted it failed to properly anaesthetise a patient who was operated on while conscious – leaving her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and recurring nightmares.
The woman, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said she screamed out as the gynaecological surgery at Yeovil District Hospital began to operate, but could not be heard through her oxygen mask as the surgeon cut into her belly button.
Medical negligence lawyers said she was given a spinal rather than general anaesthetic during the procedure at the hospital in Somerset last year. She remained conscious while a laparoscope – a long camera tube – was placed inside her, and her abdomen was filled with gas. Her law firm Irwin Mitchell said that an increase in blood pressure had alerted staff to her discomfort, but that the procedure was continued.
The woman, who is in her 30s, said: “While nothing will change what has happened to me, I just hope that lessons can be learned so no one else faces similar problems in the future."
A spokeswoman for Yeovil Hospital said the incident was the result of “a breakdown of communication” which “led to the use of a different anaesthetic to that normally required for such an operation”.
Source: The Independent, 10 December 2019
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