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Case Study: Delay in Hospital Admission Leads to Cauda Equina Syndrome - £355,000
Paul, 50 years old
Read case studies on settlements to the value of £4.3 Million, £2.6 Million or £2.5 Million, or or click here to go directly to information on how JMW Solicitors can help you to make a cauda equina syndrome claim.
With JMW's help a man has received £350,000 compensation after delays in hospital admission resulted in cauda equina syndrome.
Laminectomy
Paul had a long history of lower back pain and, when he was 35 years old, he underwent a laminectomy for removal of a prolapsed intervertebral disc. This was only partially successful and he continued to suffer episodic lower back pain.
Just before he turned 50, Paul went to see his GP with a particularly severe recurrence of the back pain associated with right sided sciatica. The GP referred him for an MRI scan, which was performed a week later. Both the back pain and the sciatica got steadily worse, and a week later Paul consulted his GP by telephone as he felt unable to attend the surgery. He was reassured.
Escalating symptoms
Six days later, Paul noticed a worrying alteration in his symptoms. The sciatica was now also on the left side, associated with a degree of numbness in the leg. He again telephoned the GP, who again reassured him, despite noting that he cannot pass urine sometimes.
Paul's condition continued to deteriorate, and a week following the last telephone consultation he was finding it difficult to control his bladder and to open his bowels. He claims that he contacted his GP on that day and again four days later, and on both occasions informed her of these developments.
Emergency spinal surgery
Two days later, Paul found he could not pass urine at all. He contacted the out of hours service and an ambulance was arranged to take him straight to the local hospital. On admission he was immediately transferred to the regional neurosurgical unit, where cauda equina compression was diagnosed. He underwent spinal surgery the following day, where a large disc was removed.
Following surgery, the back pain improved, but Paul was left with permanent neurological damage. He was unable to pass urine normally and had to regularly self catheterise to empty his bladder. He also had difficulty opening his bowels and had no control over passing flatus. He had very little penile sensation and also complained of numbness in both legs and feet, although his mobility was not impaired.
Our case for medical negligence
JMW alleged that the care Paul received from his GP was negligent in failing to suspect that he was suffering from cauda equina syndrome and arranging an immediate admission to hospital. If Paul had been referred to hospital any time before his final call to his GP, he would have had his prolapsed disc removed before it caused permanent neurological damage.
The case was settled and Paul was awarded of £355,000.
JMW can help you
If you have been diagnosed with cauda equina syndrome and you feel your condition could have been avoided if you had received better medical care, contact our expert team to discuss your situation.
To find out more, call us now on 0345 872 6666 or fill in our contact form and one of our experts will get back to you soon.
Back to main cauda equina syndrome claims page
More Case Studies
Failure to properly investigate and treat suspected Cauda Equina Syndrome has resulted in a woman receiving £4.37 million compensation.
Spinal injury specialists at JMW obtained £2.75 million in compensation for Jean after appalling errors led to her suffering permanent cauda equina syndrome. This case study tells Jean's story.
Eddie Jones, head of medical negligence at JMW, secured £2.6 million for a woman whose life was devastated by negligent cauda equina syndrome care.
Melissa Gardner, a partner specialising in spinal injuries in the JMW clinical negligence department, secured £2.1 million in compensation to help a woman cope with the devastating impact of permanent cauda equina syndrome after a poor consultation from a doctor caused a delay in diagnosis and treatment
JMW partner Melissa Gardner secured £2 million for 'Tracy' after her life was devastated by errors in the treatment of her cauda equina syndrome. This case study explains what went wrong and how Melissa helped Tracy.
Sam lost her business and marriage after appalling errors allowed her red flag signs of cauda equina syndrome to go untreated. Sam was left permanently disabled but Eddie Jones as JMW obtained her £925,000 in compensation to help her to cope.
Jim had an attack of sciatica at work, it didn't get better with rest and his GP suspected cauda equina syndrome and sent him to a hospital for investigation. His condition wasn't initially properly diagnosed and got worse and has led to long term suffering.
Peter was left with permanent bowel, bladder and sexual dysfunction, as well as disability and constant pain after delayed treatment of his cauda equina syndrome. As a result he lost his job and struggles with day-to-day tasks such as caring for his children.
Tina had a history of lower back pain and had consulted her GP on a number of occasions. One day she had a particularly severe episode of back pain that was unresponsive to pain relief.
Donna attended her GP with lower back pain and sciatica in her left leg worsening over the previous 2 weeks. She was referred to an orthopaedic consultant at her local hospital.
Paul had a long history of lower back pain and when he was 35 years old, he underwent a laminectomy for removal of a prolapsed intervertebral disc. This was only partially successful and he continued to suffer episodic lower back pain.
'John' now relies on a wheelchair for getting about outdoors after appalling delays to surgery he needed urgently to treat cauda equina syndrome. Steven Brown, a senior associate in JMW's specialist medical negligence team secured John £280,000 in compensation to help him cope with his permanent disabilities.
Joanne was left with permanent bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction after delays in recognising her cauda equina syndrome. Her case was taken on by JMW Solicitors and she was awarded £250,000 in compensation.
Find out how we helped Tricia to claim £250,000 after medical professionals failed to recognise the risks of cauda equina syndrome.
Aaron was awarded £225,000 in compensation after JMW challenged the poor care that he faced when his Cauda Equina Syndrome was missed by medical professionals. This case study tells his story.
Tony had a long history of lower back pain and sciatica.However, when he was 48 years old he suffered a recurrence of his symptoms. After a month his condition became much more severe and so visited his GP, who prescribed pain relief. JMW claimed £150,000 for the claimant due to clinical negligence.
Gerard had a long history of lower back pain and had attended an osteopath as well as his GP on a number of occasions. He had become depressed since the recent death of his partner.
Collette, 39, had her life devastated by appalling delays to urgently needed spinal surgery. Eddie Jones, head of medical negligence at JMW helped her to win her battle for justice, paving the way for compensation to be secured.
'Michael' suffered negligent diagnosis of cauda equina and received £425,000 in compensation with the help of JMW's Steven Brown.
Delayed MRI scan and poor surgery cause permanent disabilities from cauda equina syndrome - £600,000
Eddie Jones, a cauda equina syndrome specialist solicitor at JMW, obtained £600,000 for a women whose life was devastated by negligent treatment of CES at a local hospital and a specialist spinal unit. Although nothing could ever fully compensate 'Denise' for her ordeal, the money has enabled her to cope with the financial consequences.
Paul, 38, was left with bowel, bladder and sexual dysfunction after surgery to treat cauda equina syndrome was delayed to enable a non-emergency patient to be operated on. His case was taken on by Eddie Jones, head of medical negligence at JMW and a leading cauda equina solicitor, who secured £220,000, enabling him to manage his condition.