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You are here: Experts > Health/Fitness > Health Care: UK > Medical Malpractice > Ectopic Pregnancy Misdiagnoses
Expert: Glenn A. Dorfman - 10/25/2009
Question
I got pregnant late August of this year. From the first week I thought I was pregnant, I was bleeding, and the bleeding continued for 3 weeks. It went from spotting to heavy period blood. Well, early on, I called the clinic and told them I was pregnant. They scheduled an ultrasound for Oct. 15. They wanted me to get a blood test sometime before then to confirm being pregnant. Well, in the meantime, my bleeding really concerned me, so I called often with concern, & the nurses weren't all that worried. They said not to worry unless I bleed through a pad an hour, which luckily I never did. They got a little worried finally and ordered lab blood tests to watch hcg levels, and after the 2nd test, my #s went down, so over the phone they said they thought I was miscarrying and did not need me to see them for an ultrasound b/c they'd watch the hcg levels and once they got to 0, I could wait for a period and try again. So, I was diagnosed with a miscarriage over the phone by I think only a nurse (maybe they at least consulated a doctor there, I don't know). I know at that point, based on my LMP, I was at least 5 weeks, enough for them to check with ultrasound.
So a week later I have the worst shooting pain in my rectum that goes straight to my belly and hurts the most on my right side. It's night time, so I call and on call doctor who says if it continues to the a.m. to go to the doctor, because she thinks since the doctor's office said I am miscarrying, I am only passing tissue. Keep in mind, that I give her all the symptoms, and she doesn't tell me to go to the ER. That same day I have hcg levels drawn and got the results the next day and am told to go straight to the ultrasound department b/c my levels skyrocketed b/c it's either ectopic or the pregnancy decided to stick. Long story short, I am diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy and told the pain the night before was when my right tube ruptured and had it not been for my uterus holding the blood there and not letting me bleed to death, I would not have woken up that morning. So an inch from my right tube was taken out. Because the on call doctor ignored the classic symtoms of an ectopic (pain in rectum and belly) and the nurses blaming the bleeding on implantation bleeding and irritation from having sex or some other theory and me losing a tube, I wondered if I have a case. I feel like, now I lost a tube, which lessens my chance to concieve, & if they had gotten me in a week earlier, and seen where the embryo was, I could have had my tube saved, I mean I WAS bleeding! I not only have only one tube, I have $7500 in medical bills, which I feel should have been prevented. Please let me know:)
Answer
I am not a gynecologist but I do have some background in the subject and especially ectopic pregnancies, having handled hundreds of Dalkon Shield IUD cases back in the 80s when women would get pelvic infections that scarred the tubes, resulting in ectopics. So, I will be frank in answering. If you had actually bled to death, it might be a big case. But because you have made a full recovery other than loss of part of the tube, and still have one functional tube presumably, there is no case. Yes, you were the victim of negligence and probably medical malpractice but it would be a long, difficult and expensive undertaking by the attorney with a good chance of a 0 result and tops, what, maybe $100,000 on a good day? That's not good enough odds for the attorney to make the investment. Here is the lay medical opinion I have on your damages, which is the problem here. Even if they diagnosed the ectopic immediately, you would have still needed surgery and the surgery still would have irreparably damaged that tube. There is no way to remove it but to open up the tube. If even a little scar tissue from a minor infection can damage the function of the tube, imagine what cutting into it would do. The tubes are lined with scillia, tiny little hair like things that wave like wheat in a field. They transport the egg to the uterus. If just a few of the scillia (and there are thousands or millions) are damaged, the egg can get stuck. So again, cutting into the tube even in the most delicate fashion, would make the tube useless. Ask your doctor if I am not right. So in summary, yes, you got very bad advice in the beginning and suffered longer than necessary, but in the end, the damage was the same. Hope this makes sense to you.
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