Doctors accidentally removed my bladder during a C-section – it was like a scene from Alien and now I’m scarred for life
A MUM has revealed her agony after doctors accidentally removed her bladder during a C-section.
Felicity Benyon, 37, has been left with a permanent urostomy bag because of a mistake made at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
The hospital is at the centre of a maternity scandal, which will see around 1,800 incidents reviewed by midwife Donna Ockenden because of dozens of deaths and baby injuries.
Ms Benyon accused Nottingham University Hospital of a “barefaced lied” to her about what happened before the trust eventually admitted liability for the 2015 case.
She was in hospital for five months before her second child was born, and doctors suspected she had placenta percreta — a deadly pregnancy complication.
But medics did not follow guidelines before and during her planned C-section, which almost killed her, she said.
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Ms Benyon, of Manfield, told : “As the doctor opened me up he said it was like a scene out of Alien, 'I can't tell what's womb, placenta and baby', and yet he continued to let a junior doctor carry out the C-section.
“Luckily it went OK and the baby came out fine, but they soon realised another complication they'd previously ruled out, I did have, and I had the worst case of it which is placenta percreta.”
Placenta percreta affects 1.7 in every 10,000 pregnant women in Britain.
It causes the placenta to grow through the uterus, sometimes extending into nearby organs like the bladder.
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Doctors thought she may have the condition after a 25-week ultrasound but the diagnosis was dismissed after a further MRI scan did not reveal it.
She believed a multidisciplinary team had met before her C-section to have the right specialists on hand if required, but they hadn’t.
When the surgeons performed an emergency hysterectomy because the uterus had completely attached to the womb, they needed a urologist but none were at the hospital.
Her healthy bladder was removed accidentally but when she woke up, she was initially told it would have to have been taken out regardless.
Anthony May, chief executive for NUH, said the trust apologises “unreservedly for the pain and suffering that Ms Benyon experienced”.
It is “clear that mistakes were made”, he added.
He said: “We have a comprehensive maternity improvement programme in place which is driving changes in our maternity services.”
The trust is making changes to “staffing levels, training, compliance with guidelines, record keeping and the provision and use of equipment”.
Mr May said: “We are committed to the Independent Review into maternity services at NUH.
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“We work closely with the review team led by Donna Ockenden, to ensure transparent and full engagement.
“This includes meeting regularly with Donna in order to listen and take action on feedback."