Two years after giving birth, Heather finally underwent a secondary repair of a third degree tear. The injury had been missed by clinicians, resulting in long-term faecal incontinence.
After giving birth to her second child, Heather was told she had suffered a superficial tear. The midwife attending her began to suture the wound, although quickly became concerned and called for a doctor. It took an hour and a half for the doctor to repair the injury. Heather was discharged the following day without undergoing any further examinations.
At first she recovered well, but after about nine months began to experience the loss of wind through her vagina. Heather found this embarrassing but did not tell anyone as she believed it was a normal side-effect of childbirth.
However, eighteen months after the birth of her second child, Heather also began to pass faeces through her vagina. She knew this was not normal and sought help from her GP. She was immediately referred to a consultant who specialises in obstetrics and gynaecology.
The consultant examined Heather but he could not be certain of the cause of her symptoms, so arranged a pelvic ultrasound scan and referred her to a colorectal surgeon for assessment. The colorectal surgeon confirmed that Heather had sustained a significant obstetric injury.
Heather had, in fact, suffered a third degree tear during the delivery of her second baby. She had large perineal and sphincter defects, which were the cause of her incontinence. This was a severe injury, and it was not understood how it had been missed by the midwife and doctor who sutured Heather after the birth.
Heather did subsequently undergo a surgical sphincter repair. Sadly this did not remedy her symptoms, and she still struggles to control the passing of wind and faeces. As a result, she has had to give up work and is limited in what she is able to do.
Had Heather’s third degree tear been diagnosed and repaired shortly after the birth, it is very likely that she would have made a full recovery. Any reasonably competent medical practitioner should have been able to diagnose Heather’s injury with a digital rectal examination. Sadly such an examination was overlooked and a second degree tear was diagnosed, meaning only the superficial perineal muscles were repaired.
We helped Heather pursue a claim for the negligent medical care she received. She was awarded over £150,000 compensation.
(Details which might identify our client have been changed.)
