A mum who became critically ill after a minor operation went seriously wrong has received £44,000 in compensation after help from Thompsons Solicitors.

The nurse from Preston in Lancashire ended up in intensive care after keyhole surgery to remove her gall bladder at the Royal Preston Hospital in March 2007.

During the operation the surgeon cut by mistake into her bile duct, which transports bile from the liver to the gall bladder, leaving her seriously ill.

Needed surgery to reconstruct bile duct

As a result the part time nursing auxiliary was in hospital for seven weeks and had to undergo surgery to reconstruct her bile duct.

She was forced to take six months off work following the operation which had it gone smoothly should have taken less than a week to recover from.

The woman, who has a 15-year-old son and an eight-year-old daughter was left distraught by the operation.

She went into surgery on March 1 and expected to be released the following day but when she became unwell she was kept in for observation.

On March 9 a scan showed that the cut in her bile duct had caused bile to drip into her abdomen resulting in jaundice and a serious infection in her stomach.

Transferred to Intensive Care

She was transferred to Chorley Hospital where she was in intensive care until she underwent the reconstruction operation on April 10. She was unable to return to work until September 2007.

She said: “To this day I don’t know how such a simple and routine operation can go so wrong. The pain I suffered as a result of my bile duct being cut was much worse than the initial problem I had with my gall bladder.

“I am a single mum and my children had to live with my parents while I was in hospital for this extended period and even when I returned home my parents had to do everything for me and the children.

“This operation has had a huge impact on me and my family’s life. The children were terrified to see me so ill. Fortunately I haven’t had any recurring infections but it is a major concern that I will suffer further complications.”

She instructed Thompsons Solicitors to pursue a claim for compensation against Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust.

The trust admitted liability and settled the claim out of court.

Sarah Goodman from Thompsons Solicitors added: “This client trusted the Royal Preston Hospital with her life. She never expected that she would end up in intensive care after undergoing a routine operation like this one.

“The surgeon undertaking the operation made a serious mistake and it is only right she is compensated for her pain and suffering.”