Injury sustained by cerebral palsy patient while receiving a drug infusion

Posted: 10/02/2014

Penningtons Manches' clinical negligence team is acting for a young boy with cerebral palsy who suffered an extravasation injury (damage caused by the efflux of solutions from a vessel into surrounding tissue spaces during intravenous infusion) after being admitted to hospital for treatment for epileptic seizures.

It is believed the injury was most likely due to an infusion of a drug given in theatre. Following the infusion, the hospital failed to notice the extravasation injury until later the following day and by this time the plastic surgery team decided that there was nothing that they could do as far as treatment was concerned. The claimant developed 10 blisters on his hand which required repeated dressing and did not heal until 10 weeks after the initial injury.

The defendant trust has acknowledged its mistakes in relation to the injury and admitted liability. The clinical negligence team has obtained evidence from a consultant plastic surgeon about whether plastic surgery can be undertaken to remove the nasty scars left by the blisters on the claimant's hand. The evidence from the plastic surgeon will help us to consider whether the settlement offer put forward by the defendant trust is sufficient to compensate the claimant for his pain and suffering and provide for any plastic surgery he may need in the future.

Once a provisional settlement has been reached with the defendant, it will need to be approved by the court as the claimant is a minor.

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