We have achieved a substantial settlement for our client who experienced continuous mismanagement and unnecessary surgeries by her gynaecologist, Dr Richard Reid, over 10 years.
Catherine Henry Lawyers’ highly experienced health law team obtained expert medical evidence to show our client was subjected to multiple unnecessary operations which led to serious complications.
Lasting pain and damage
Our client suffers almost constant pelvic pain and discomfort, which makes everyday tasks much more difficult. She experiences urinary retention and must self-catheterise. Her vaginal wall permanent damaged, which has resulted in ulcers, bleeding and haematoma.
A decade of mismanagement
Our client was referred to Dr Reid for surgery to treat a vulval lesion. During follow-up consultations, he diagnosed urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, despite our client having no symptoms.
Doctor Reid recommended major pelvic floor surgery without further diagnostic testing.
The surgery involved the insertion of mesh (Surgisis®), insertion of polypropylene tape, (Monarc®), and a “Z-plasty” repair of tight scar tissue at the vaginal opening. The tape was developed as an option to treat stress incontinence but we showed our client didn’t have stress incontinence at that time.
When our client was again referred to Dr Reid to investigate prolonged vaginal bleeding, he conducted an internal examination but didn’t do appropriate investigations to exclude a sinister cause for the bleeding.
He diagnosed a bladder prolapse on the anterior vaginal wall and again recommended surgical treatment including a hysterectomy. We showed that our client didn’t suffer from prolapse then.
During this third surgery, more mesh was inserted, even though inserting any foreign body such as mesh at the same time as performing a hysterectomy is known to be associated with a six-fold increase in infection and erosion rates.
After this surgery, our client began to experience new symptoms, including pelvic pain and tenderness, abnormal blood counts, and a pelvic abscess. Dr Reid failed to undertake a CT scan to diagnose, and subsequently drain, the abscess which we argued would have alleviated some of her symptoms.
A few years later Dr Reid performed more surgery to treat our client’s menopausal symptoms, including urinary frequency and weakened pelvic floor. Polypropylene tape was inserted, despite not being designed for this use. After this surgery, our client developed symptoms including fevers, vaginal bleeding, malaise and dyspareunia. She unsuccessfully saw Dr Reid to treat these symptoms until further testing revealed the remnants of the pelvic abscess and a suture remaining from previous surgery.
Rogue doctors – Dr Reid
Our client is not alone in receiving poor treatment from Dr Reid.
We help many clients who have fallen victim to what we call “rogue” doctors – doctors whose colleagues universally condemn their work and who are invariably precluded by the regulators from practising medicine.
Dr Reid has retired but was disqualified from seeking registration as a medical practitioner for five years in 2018. The Health Care Complaints Commission prosecuted a complaint against Dr Reid before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal related to the treatment of 16 surgical patients at a Sydney private hospital. The primary focus of the complaints was Dr Reid’s recommendations and consent for surgery using the ‘Tissue Fixation System’ pelvic ligament mesh device (“TFS”).
Let us fight for you or your loved one
If you or a loved one has experienced complications from insertion of vaginal mesh or poor gynaecological care, please get in touch with one of our caring, expert, female lawyers about the options available to you.
Taking legal action can also help change health care practices and hold health care professionals to account so other people do not to have experience what you went through.
