A NEW mum was forced to have her hand amputated after a catheter fell out of her hand.
Gleice Kelly Gomes Silva gave birth to a healthy baby, but suffered from internal bleeding afterwards.
Jam PressGleice Kelly Gomes Silva gave birth to a healthy baby but had to be treated for internal bleeding afterwards[/caption]
Jam PressThe mum had a catheter fitted in her hand, but it fell out when medics were trying to stop her from bleeding out[/caption]
After it came out, her hand swelled up (as above) and medics had to amputate itJam Press
In order to provide medication to the mum, medics fitted her hand with a catheter.
But, according to Gleice Kelly’s lawyer, the catheter came out and her hand began to swell up, causing it to need to be removed.
The mum was 39 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to the Hospital da Mulher Intermédica Jacarepaguá in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 9 October last year.
The family’s lawyer Monalisa Gagno claimed: “Gleice Kelly went on the delivery table to give birth to her third child, which was a normal delivery and a success, the child was healthy.
“But she had internal bleeding, a haemorrhage they couldn’t stop. So they carried out a vascular access procedure and started putting a lot of medication in there to try to stop the bleeding.
“However, from what we understand, the catheter came out of her vein and her hand began to swell, causing considerable pain and inflammation. It then turned red.”
The legal expert said that medics had been so focused on stopping the bleeding that they did not look into the reasons for her rapidly swelling hand.
Ms Gagno said: “They placed a Bakri balloon, which is inside the woman’s cervix, to try to contain the bleeding.
“They were so worried about the haemorrhaging that they didn’t worry about the vascular access, which ended up leaving the vein and causing necrosis in her hand.”
The brave mum was transferred to another hospital owned by the same group in São Gonçalo where the decision was made to remove her hand.
Her lawyer added: “At no time was there any explanation from them and the doctors who treated her about what happened to both the haemorrhage and the loss of her limb.
“There was no investigation, no one explained it to the family, neither at the time nor before the operation.”
Commenting on her experience, Gleice Kelly told local media. “I’m still trying to understand everything. I just know it was a medical error. It’s all very sad.”
Her husband Marcio de Oliveira Barbosa, 29, said: “They called saying that they had to amputate my wife’s forearm because there was no other way, that she could lose her whole arm or even her life.”
The dad has also had to stop working due to child care issues.
Sadly, last month Gleice had to be hospitalised again for internal bleeding.
Her lawyer explained: “In mid-December, she started bleeding again and went back to the hospital.
“When she arrived at the unit, the doctor admitted her again because they left part of the placenta inside her.
“She even had to undergo a new procedure because of this.”
In a statement, the Hospital da Mulher Intermédica Jacarepaguá said they are in “full solidarity with the victim and deeply regret what happened”.
The hospital reiterated their “commitment to investigate with all seriousness, transparency and attention the medical and hospital procedures adopted during the patient’s care”.
“The hospital has been in contact with the patient and her representatives to provide all possible help and meet her needs as well as remaining available for all necessary clarifications to be carried out.”
The Civil Police confirmed that investigators are currently interviewing witnesses and reviewing medical documents concerning the matter.
The police investigation, registered as culpable bodily injury, is ongoing.