Patricia’s story: Missed assessment led to deep vein thrombosis and prolonged suffering

Our client Patricia, a woman who developed deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after medics failed to risk assess her during an admission for pneumonia and sepsis, has settled her medical negligence claim against the defendant hospital trust.

Timeline of events

In autumn 2022, Patricia called an ambulance due to shortness of breath and a cough. She was admitted to hospital and treated for pneumococcal pneumonia and sepsis with intravenous antibiotics. After three days, she was discharged with oral antibiotics to complete her treatment.

A few days later, Patricia contacted her GP about swelling and redness in her left leg. At her appointment, her left calf was found to be larger than the right, with redness and blistering present. Despite these symptoms, she was prescribed antibiotics for a suspected infection and her risk of DVT was incorrectly considered low.

Patricia continued to suffer with symptoms of her left leg so the following month, she visited an urgent care centre reporting leg pain and swelling that had lasted three weeks. An ultrasound confirmed the presence of DVT in her left leg and she was prescribed an anticoagulant medication to treat the clot.

After completing her course of the anticoagulant medication, Patricia was advised that she would need DVT prophylaxis in future high-risk situations. As part of her claim, it was also established that she was at an increased risk of future DVT because of the negligence.

How we helped Patricia’s misdiagnosis case

Patricia came to us after her treatment to discuss the care she had received. We helped her pursue a medical negligence claim against the hospital trust for their failure to conduct a proper venous thromboembolism assessment and administer the necessary preventative medication. The case was settled out of court, compensating Patricia for the pain, suffering and lasting effects of the DVT.

A note from Ikhira Thandi

“Patricia was not assessed for the risk of developing DVT upon her initial admission, despite having clear risk factors in which she would have been deemed high risk. If the hospital had followed the correct protocols, including performing a venous thromboembolism assessment and administering the appropriate preventative medication, Patricia would not have developed the DVT.

“As a result, Patricia endured an extended period of pain and suffering, requiring lengthy treatment and facing the long-term consequences of muscle wastage and an increased risk of future clots.

“This case emphasises the importance of timely and thorough assessments for patients at risk, as well as the need for medical professionals to act on those assessments to prevent avoidable complications.”