Véronique, 54, almost died during a hysteroscopy, a trivial examination. The surgeon perforated her uterus and severed the femoral artery. Four months after the accident, the consequences are numerous. A complaint has been filed.
“My life is shattered”. It is with this sentence, simple but heavy with meaning, that Véronique sums up what happened to her. This 54-year-old woman almost lost her life during a hysteroscopy, an examination of the uterus, at the hospital in Montélimar last May. This is a mild procedure, but the gynecologist perforated her uterus and severed her femoral artery. Four months later, Véronique has no more abdominal muscles. His kidneys are no longer functioning properly. She struggles to get up, to walk.
At the beginning of May, the Drôme resident consulted a German gynecologist, Doctor Martin F., who had just been recruited by the Montélimar hospital. At the time of her period, she has persistent bleeding for several days. The doctor notices the presence of a fibroid on the wall of her uterus. It is a small tumor that is not cancerous. The practitioner then wishes to perform a hysteroscopy.
The surgeon, a “butcher”
During the procedure, he punctures her uterus. An internal doctor and an anesthesiologist try to alert him to his mistake. Michel Cohen, director of the hospital, explains in a letter addressed to the Order of Physicians: “He continued his surgical procedure despite the alerts of his operating assistant. He started the curettage while he was near the vascular axes. He touched the femoral artery. He remained dumbfounded and unable to make a decision while the patient’s life-threatening prognosis was engaged. We went into a therapeutic accident situation due to his inability to surrender account of the uterine perforation and his insistence on continuing his procedure “.
Véronique then suffers from a very large hemorrhage and is transferred to emergency at the Edouard Herriot hospital, in Lyon. The doctors will save her and also prevent the amputation of her right leg. Philippe, her husband, was received by Michel Cohen. He assures us that the latter qualified the practitioner as a “real butcher”.
A complaint filed
The Council of the Order of Physicians banned Dr Martin F. from operating for a year. The latter also works in Strasbourg. However, he can carry out consultations. Véronique and her lawyer wonder if this “butcher” has caused other victims because he has already practiced in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium or Luxembourg. A complaint has been lodged with the Valence prosecutor’s office, an investigation will therefore be carried out.
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