‘Shouldn’t have happened’: Victorian mum’s fallopian tubes removed during surgery

A Melbourne mum has taken legal action against a healthcare provider after waking from an emergency surgery to a “devastating” discovery.

A Melbourne mum has taken legal action against a healthcare provider after waking from an emergency surgery to learn her fallopian tubes had been removed.

In early 2022, Liz Darwish was 10 weeks pregnant with her and husband Mouhamad’s fourth baby when she noticed she was bleeding.

Doctors at Bacchus Marsh Hospital confirmed Ms Darwish had suffered a miscarriage.

Five weeks later, however, she was rushed to Sunshine Hospital in St Albans, having collapsed while getting out of the shower due to a sudden drop in her blood pressure.

Recounting the incident to 9 News, Ms Darwish said she was asked by staff at Sunshine Hospital if she was pregnant.

“I said no, I wasn’t pregnant, I had a clean-out five to six weeks prior in Bacchus Marsh Hospital so there was no chance I was pregnant,” she told the program, referring to the D&C (dilatation and curettage) procedure that removes any remaining pregnancy tissue after miscarriage.

Liz Darwish with her husband, Mouhamad. Picture: 9 News

The doctors then discovered that Ms Darwish was actually still pregnant, with an ectopic pregnancy – when the fertilised egg stays inside the fallopian tube – that had then ruptured.

“I was bleeding internally and I just thought, ‘I’m not going to make it, I’m not going to make it home’,” Ms Darwish said.

“I just didn’t think I would be able to see my kids again and I thought my daughter’s going to grow up without her mum.”

Ms Darwish spoke to Channel 9. Picture: 9 News

She was devastated by the discovery. Picture: iStock

The fact that it was an ectopic pregnancy was something Ms Darwish said doctors did not convey to her. Instead, thinking she was dying, Ms Darwish told them to do whatever was necessary to keep her alive before they took her into surgery.

When she woke up, she was informed both of her fallopian tubes had been removed – which Ms Darwish’s lawyer, Maryse Andrinopoulos-Tsigolis, told 9News was “not usual practice … when the ectopic pregnancy has only ruptured in one”.

“With appropriate care, Liz would not have lost either fallopian tube,” Ms Andrinopoulos-Tsigolis, from Shine Lawyers, claimed.

“This shouldn’t have happened, it has had devastating consequences for Liz and is something that could’ve been solved through a simple laparoscopy.”

Ms Darwish and her husband said the incident had robbed them of growing their family. Picture: 9 News

Three years on, Ms Darwish said healthcare provider Western Health had still not given an explanation as to why the Sunshine Hospital doctors removed the organ.

She and her husband are now pursuing legal action.

In a statement provided to news.com.au, a spokesperson for Western Health said it is “committed to providing patient-centred, high-quality care and safety and wellbeing of our patients is our top priority”.

“For privacy reasons we will not comment on individual patients in response to media inquiries.”

The Darwish’s said the hospital’s actions had robbed them of growing their family.

“That choice and that decision was taken away and that’s what’s hard,” Ms Darwish said.

“Take accountability and fix what you’ve done. Fix it so it doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

Originally published as ‘Shouldn’t have happened’: Victorian mum’s fallopian tubes removed during surgery