Plaintiff, age 32, was having difficulty conceiving a child, so she consulted with an ob/gyn at Cook County Hospital. A hysterosalpingogram (HSG) was ordered to determine if the plaintiff’s fallopian tubes were obstructed. The HSG study, performed in April 2017 by an interventional radiology resident, identified the presence of bilateral hydrosalpinx (blocking of her fallopian tubes due to an infection). However, the hospital’s guidelines did not indicate that hydrosalpinx was a critical finding, so no antibiotics were ordered and the plaintiff was discharged. Roughly 10 hours later, she presented to another hospital with severe lower abdominal pain. The hydrosalpinx had advanced and resulted in sepsis. Despite IV antibiotics, the plaintiff needed a life-saving hysterectomy. Paid by self-insured Cook County.
The plaintiff was represented by Nicholas J. Motherway.