 |
 |
to fill out a simple form to connect to Personal Injury Lawyers in your area.
|
|
|
|
|
Jackson v. State6/29/2005
tissue due to infection that had been going on for some time as evidenced by Ms. Jackson's history of frequent visits to Conway's emergency room. He stated that leaving the ovaries would have resulted in future flare-ups of infection, the possibility of hernia formation, and a high likelihood of another surgery. Dr. Ziegler believed that "it would have been below the standard of care to have left such as mess as that" in Ms. Jackson.
Dr. Rodney Wise, the director of Conway's ob/gyn department, testified as an expert but was not involved in Ms. Jackson's treatment. Dr. Wise noted that Conway had found that Ms. Jackson suffered from uterine fibroids and blocked tubes before referring her to LSUMC's fertility clinic. He testified that even with her problems, there was some chance that she might be able to conceive, but he also testified that her chance of natural conception in 1992 was essentially zero. He attributed the cause of her infertility to the fibroid distorting her uterus and blocking the fallopian tubes, the damaged fallopian tubes, and the adhesions and scar tissue around her ovaries and fallopian tubes caused by past infectious process from pelvic inflammatory disease. He noted that at the time of her referral to LSUMC in 1992, the fibroid was quite small, but by 1994, it had become quite large, obliterating the entire frontal portion of the uterus and distorting the entire organ. He also noted that her medical history showed that she had been having significant symptoms from the fibroid and adhesions including pelvic pain and heavy menses.
Dr. Wise explained that Lupron was not a fertility treatment for Ms. Jackson. It was his opinion that the standard of care in 1994 did not require treatment with Lupron to shrink fibroids prior to surgery. He stated that there was no consensus on its use and that the decision to use or not use Lupron was a medical judgment. He noted that shrinkage is variable when Lupron is used and that the drug may also shrink the uterus.
Dr. Wise had no criticism of the decision to remove the uterus, calling it a medical judgment of whether there was enough organ tissue remaining to reconstruct something near a normal organ. He explained the risks of leaving the uterus as possible interruption of the vascular supply that might cause loss of tissue, post-operative bleeding requiring additional surgery, and formation of more scar tissue that might affect adjacent organs. He believed that Ms. Jackson's chance of conception would have been essentially zero if the uterine remnant had remained and that there would have been a higher risk for uterine rupture during a pregnancy due to the reconstructed uterus being unable to stretch enough to accommodate a pregnancy.
Dr. Wise believed that the decision to remove the ovaries was also a medical judgment call. He explained that the ovaries no longer had a normal anatomical position due to being adhered to the pelvic sidewall and encased in scar tissue. Leaving them in place would have likely caused the formation of more scar tissue further encasing the ovaries and other organs and leading to a very high likelihood of consistent chronic pain. Dr. Wise also noted that ovarian cancer is a significant risk to women. Dr. Wise explained that the only benefit to leaving the ovaries in from a fertility standpoint would have been to serve as an egg donor for IVF. He believed that even with a reconstructed uterus, Ms. Jackson's chances of successful implantation and pregnancy were "extremely low end" and "essentially nil."
He also believed that if IVF ever took place, then Ms. Jackson would also need a surrogate carrier. He concluded that the decision to remove the ovaries was a proper medical j
Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Louisiana Personal Injury Attorneys
Personal Injury Lawyers
|
| |
to fill out a simple form to connect to Personal Injury Lawyers in your area.
|
|