A Twin Cities woman is suing alleged medical errors, saying she lost a healthy left kidney.
In a lawsuit filed Friday, Plymouth's Wendy Rappaport accused surgeons and Elena Hospital system of medical malpractice and a battery. Allina said the court applied to "not accurately reflect the entire situation" and intended to deal with the lawsuit in court.
The lawsuit says Rappaport was included in the northwest of Abbott by Abbott in March 2022 and plans to undergo spleen removal surgery. After the doctor suggested the surgery, the lawsuit said he reviewed the risks with her surgery.
The lawsuit says doctors performed an open laparotomy during which Rapaport’s “removal of the left kidney instead of the spleen.” The lawsuit says doctors said he removed the intact spleen during the operation, but a postoperative CT scan showed her left kidney had been removed and that the spleen tissue was still present.
According to the lawsuit, a CT scan before the surgery showed that Rappaport's kidneys were "unobtrusive. There was no suspicious mass, stones or hydronephrosis". Lapaport disagreed with removing the left kidney, the document said.
The lawsuit says she stayed in the hospital until May 25, 2022 due to complications after kidney removal. According to the lawsuit, she also needs to continue treatment, including dialysis.
The lawsuit claims that the doctor committed medical malpractice and medical batteries. The lawsuit accused him of breaching his care obligations owed Rappaport and causing permanent, irreversible injuries. The medical professionals involved in the surgery also owe her the obligation to care, and the Allina health system faces similar charges, the document says.
Rappaport is looking for at least $50,000 in this case.
The affidavit filed by the Iowa City doctor said that Alina surgeon “deviates from applicable health care standards that owes Ms. Lapaporte.”
He wrote that failure to identify the left kidney during the surgery was “a medical error” and “an error that would not happen without negligence”.
“Allina Health is aware of the lawsuit and has reviewed the case by medical experts. Although we will not discuss the details of patient care due to privacy laws, the court’s application does not accurately reflect the patient’s condition or the full provision of life-saving medical services. We intend to provide strongly to the court in court, which is the care provided,” Allina Health said in a statement.
Rappaport's attorney said in a statement Tuesday afternoon:
Schmidt and Salita's legal team represent Wendy Rappaport for the injuries she suffered from negligence and unnecessary left kidney. The defendant should have removed the "pathological" spleen, but removed the wrong organ. As a result, Ms. Rappaport suffered not only the loss of her left kidney, but also permanent kidney damage, and she needed specific medical treatment to maintain her ongoing kidney function. This is not the case with Ms. Rappaport before unnecessary kidney removal. On May 16, 2015, we began seeking fair compensation for Ms. Rappaport on behalf of her injuries as well as future damages due to the defendant's malpractice and medical batteries. The removal of incorrect organs has and will continue to have a profound and unnecessary impact on her life and health.