Herne Hill’s Nicole Timms sues Barwon Health for negligence
A Herne Hill woman has filed a negligence lawsuit against Barwon Health, claiming gauze left in a wound led to a case of toxic shock syndrome so severe she now requires ongoing dialysis.
Geelong
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Barwon Health is being sued for negligence after gauze left in a wound allegedly left a woman requiring ongoing dialysis following a battle with a deadly bacterial infection.
Nicole Timms, 49, presented to Geelong hospital on April 8, 2022 with a perianal abscess – a highly painful infection requiring the abscess to be cut open and drained through an invasive procedure.
She had been referred to hospital by her GP earlier that day.
According to a writ filed by Shine Lawyers on behalf of Ms Timms, she returned to hospital four days after her discharge with symptoms of “dizziness and a general ill feeling”.
A CT scan quickly revealed she had developed a fistula, whereby the surgery wound becomes reinfected and causes further damage to the patient’s tissue.
However, the scan also revealed a piece of “surgical material” was left in the wound, which had now turned septic.
Ms Timms was admitted to the ICU the following day with sepsis and further examination was conducted by the surgical team to determine the cause.
The surgical team detailed “packing removed (ribbon gauze)”, according to the writ.
On April 14, an ICU progress note detailed the sepsis was caused by “retained pack from recent I+D (incision and drainage)”.
Ms Timms was put on renal replacement therapy for “persistent hypotension” and on April 17 was transferred from the ICU to a different ward.
“It was subsequently determined that the plaintiff would now be dialysis dependant moving forward,” the writ states.
After a week and a half of treatment, Ms Timms was finally discharged on April 23, with a principle diagnosis of “toxic shock syndrome, secondary to retained surgical gauze”, the writ states.
Toxic shock syndrome is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition caused by bacteria.
The Herne Hill woman is now suing Barwon Health, claiming damages, interest and costs and arguing the organisation was negligent and breached “the terms of the agreement by the defendant in respect of the treatment, management and advice provided to the plaintiff”.
“This includes a failure to remove the surgical gauze following the incision and drainage,” the write states.
As a result of Barwon Health’s alleged negligence, Ms Timms “suffered injury, loss and damage. This includes, but is not limited to, an ongoing requirement for dialysis”.
A spokesman for Barwon Health said the organisation had been served with the writ and could not comment.
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Originally published as Herne Hill’s Nicole Timms sues Barwon Health for negligence
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