Updated: March 31, 2021 at 4:35 p.m.
A woman is suing the GW Hospital and GW Medical Faculty Associates for malpractice because she allegedly sustained excessive bleeding and pain after her admittance to the emergency room in 2015.
In an eight-page lawsuit filed in the D.C. Superior Court last week, an unnamed woman claims that the hospital, an unnamed doctor and an orthopedic surgeon whose name The Hatchet could not identify, caused her to lose wages and earning capacities, incur medical expenses and suffer mental anguish when she was admitted to the hospital three years ago. Jane Doe is seeking $500,000 in addition to amounts determined at a trial by a 12-person jury and any costs the court deems appropriate.
“Defendants’ conduct, individually and by and through their agents, employees, servants and representatives was outrageous, grossly fraudulent, grossly negligent and/or reckless towards the safety of plaintiff Doe,” the complaint states.
A spokeswoman for GW Hospital did not return a request for comment. Christal Edwards, the lawyer representing Doe, declined to comment.
The woman, who suffered from ulcerative colitis, a bowel disease, was admitted to The GW Hospital emergency room Oct. 11, 2015 with nausea, extreme pain and bleeding, the complaint states.
The surgeon and the unnamed doctor diagnosed Doe with a perianal abscess and performed surgery on her in the emergency room, but she continued to experience pain and excess bleeding, so nursing staff asked both doctors to return to the room to check on her, according to the suit.
When Doe was admitted to an inpatient room, she continued to experience pain and bleeding, despite efforts by nursing staff and Patricia Ortiz, the resident doctor, to suppress the symptoms, according to the complaint.
Nursing staff allegedly called both doctors’ surgery teams, but only the surgeon returned after 10 hours to “briefly” inspect the surgical site, and he did not correct or stop the bleeding, the suit states.
“His bedside manner was extremely nasty and unprofessional,” the complaint reads.
Doe’s bleeding did not cease until two days after the surgery, causing her to lose so much blood that she needed a blood transfusion, according to the suit. Doe states in the complaint that the doctors had a duty to perform surgical procedures within an “acceptable standard” of care, which they breached, causing her to receive an “unnecessary” blood transfusion and suffer other permanent damage.
“To date, plaintiff Doe still experiences extreme fatigue, other side effects and extreme emotional and mental stress from such negligent, below the standard of care and unprofessional treatment she received,” the complaint states.
Doe alleges that the doctors “deviated from the acceptable standard of medical care,” failed to inform her of injuries and damages that could occur as a result of surgery and that all defendants acted with “ill-will and disregard” for her rights.
An initial scheduling conference will be held in January 2019, according to court records.
This post was updated to reflect the following:
A previous version of this story named a surgeon with the last name Ibrahim. The Hatchet could not independently identify the full name of the person and refer to him now as the surgeon.
