A plastic surgeon has expressed his profound regret to the spouse and relatives of a woman who had a sudden health crisis and passed away 11 days post breast augmentation revision surgery. The regret was conveyed in a letter Prof Nadeem Ajmal presented to the High Court, which also contained his heartfelt and unequivocal apology for the tragedy that happened six years ago, involving a woman in her 30s.
The apology was publicised as the lady’s spouse and family concluded a legal proceeding in the High Court that resulted in a settlement of €3.23 million. The court ordered that the woman’s identity should remain undisclosed.
The family’s head barrister, Patrick Treacy, informed Mr Justice Paul Coffey that the mother suffered a collapse before her relatives, nine days post her operation, and was hurriedly taken to a nearby hospital. There, a pulmonary angiogram revealed the presence of a blood clot. The woman was immediately admitted to the ICU, where she was intubated and provided with ventilation. Despite these efforts, she remained in a deep coma and passed away in June 2018, two days later.
Cian O’Carroll, the solicitor directing Mr Treacy, highlighted their argument that the woman should have received compression stockings following her surgical procedure. They also argued that during her follow-up visit to the plastic surgeon seven days after her surgery, when she complained of pain and leg swelling, a comprehensive examination and investigation would have recognised deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This could have led her to receive anticoagulant treatment and possibly prevented the blood clot.
The woman’s husband and offspring filed a lawsuit against consultant plastic aesthetic and hand surgeon Prof Nadeem Ajmal of Beaumont Private Clinic, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, and the Bon Secours Health System Company registered at College Road, Cork, which oversees the Bon Secours Hospital in Glasnevin, Dublin, where the woman was treated.
The court found that Prof Ajmal conceded to a failure of duty in the case, while the Bon Secours Health System Company refuted all allegations.
The court was presented with a letter penned by Prof Nadeem Ajmal, in which he expressed his profound and genuine regret for the unfortunate passing of a woman who was a spouse and a mother, and moreover, for his own shortcomings in care. He further acknowledged the enduring impact her absence has brought upon the lives of her loved ones.
The discussions in court revolved around the instance when the lady consulted with the plastic surgeon about modification of her breast implants in April of 2018. A couple of months later, she checked into the private Bon Secours Hospital, situated in Glasnevin, Dublin, under the watch of Prof Ajmal. There she underwent a bilateral implant replacement and capsulectomy, a surgical procedure which spanned a duration of roughly 95 minutes.
The very next day, she was discharged from the hospital. It was subsequently argued that she was not given prophylactic compression or TED stockings upon her release. In less than a week, she began experiencing pain in her left leg, which was also swollen from her hip to her foot.
It was in the Bon Secours Hospital where she sought medical aid, under the care of Prof Ajmal. He performed a physical examination without removing her leggings. The allegation stated that there was no effort made to organise an ultrasound scan nor to proceed with an immediate admission to provide anticoagulant treatment.
A couple days after, the woman collapsed and was immediately transported to a different hospital. A CT pulmonary angiogram confirmed the presence of substantial pulmonary emboli. She was moved into intensive care, where she underwent intubation and ventilation, but despite these measures, the woman passed away.
Mr Justice Coffey observed the settlement and tendered his deepest condolences to the deceased woman’s spouse and family.