A woman is suing Memorial Hospital for negligence, alleging that one of its surgeons accidentally sewed up a medical pad inside of her during surgery and caused her pain for many years.
Plaintiff Robyn Scott and Matthew Scott filed a lawsuit in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against defendants Heartland Women’s Healthcare, Protestant Memorial Medical Center, Inc. doing business as Memorial Hospital of Belleville, and St. Elizabeth’s Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, doing business as St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, citing negligence and carelessness by employee Frank Mussemann, M.D.
According to the lawsuit, on April 17, 2018, Robyn Scott, an expectant mother at the time, arrived at Memorial Hospital to deliver her child and undergo a planned bilateral salpingectomies procedure. The lawsuit states that the procedure was performed by Mussemann, who noted that the surgery was successful and routine.
Scott claims she came back to the hospital later that year on Nov. 19, 2018 for a hysterectomy procedure. The procedure was also performed by Mussemann, who again noted that the surgery was successful and routine.
The lawsuit states that Scott experienced pain after both surgeries. She allegedly did not report that pain since she thought it was to be expected and normal.
In June 2020, Scott had an ultrasound following consultation from her doctors. The ultrasound initially indicated that she had a disease of the gallbladder. She had a CT scan performed on July 31, 2020, which finally revealed that she had a “foreign body mass” inside of her, according to the lawsuit.
On August 10, 2020, Scott underwent surgery to remove the mass and the surgeon determined that the object was a laparotomy pad that was left inside her body during a prior surgery performed by Mussemann.
According to the lawsuit, because of the injury, Scott endured pain and suffering, affecting her ability to earn income and impaired her ability to live a normal life.
Matthew Scott alleges that as a result of the incident, he has been deprived of his wife’s consortium and companionship.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages in an amount exceeding $50,000, plus court costs.
This article was first published in Madison Record.
