A woman is suing the GW Hospital for alleged negligence during a surgery on her artery.
In a 15-page complaint filed in the D.C. Superior Court Thursday, Judith Lunn alleges that three hospital doctors did not place a stent – a tube placed temporarily inside a blood vessel to aid healing – into her chest correctly, which caused the stent to move to her colon. Lunn is asking for $2 million for medical complications and emotional distress caused by the procedure.
Lunn planned to have a stent placed surgically into her chest in April 2016 by hospital surgeon Andrew Akman, the complaint states. At the time of the procedure Lunn claims “it was never made clear to her” whether doctors Akman, Shawn Sarin or Kermit Rust III performed the procedure. The three doctors were assigned by the hospital to supervise Lunn, according to the complaint.
Lunn’s lawyer declined to comment.
In early May 2016, Lunn’s daughter emailed Akman to ask about a pain Lunn felt in the area where the stent was inserted. The complaint states that Akman told her the pain was “unrelated” to her surgery and to wait for the results of her ultrasound, which was scheduled for September.
By the end of May of 2016, Lunn was sent to the emergency room at MedStar Montgomery Hospital for severe abdominal pain. At the emergency room doctors removed part of her colon because the stent inserted into her artery had migrated into her colon, according to the compliant.
After the stent was taken out, Lunn needed to undergo several more surgical procedures to replace the stent and repair her colon. Lunn said that if the procedure had been performed correctly the stent would not have moved out of placed and caused harm to the colon.
“As a direct and proximate result of the negligence of defendant Dr. Akman, plaintiff sustained serious and permanent bodily injury, a severe shock to her nervous system and certain internal injuries necessitating hospital, medical, rehabilitative, nursing and related care including costs and expenses associated with caring for such injuries,” the complaint states.
A hospital spokeswoman did not return a request for comment.
