Opinion ID: 852345
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Post-operative Complications

Text: Spar was discharged after the surgery and was prescribed Tylenol with codeine for pain relief. The following day she experienced abdominal pain and nausea, and her husband, Christopher, called Dr. Cha to report this. Dr. Cha was concerned that Spar was experiencing a complication from the laparoscopy and recommended that Christopher bring her to the emergency room. Christopher responded that Spar did not want to come to the hospital, so Dr. Cha prescribed a new pain medication. Spar took the medication as prescribed, but the next day she felt feverish and one of her incisions began to leak. Spar had Christopher contact Dr. Cha for an antibiotic, and again Dr. Cha told Christopher to bring her to the emergency room, but Spar declined. Dr. Cha called in a prescription for an antibiotic and told Christopher that if Spar was not feeling better by the next day she should come to the hospital. The following morning, after Spar experienced increased leakage from her incision and severe abdominal inflammation, Christopher took her to the emergency room. Dr. Shabeeb performed an emergency surgery and determined that Spar's bowel had been perforated during the laparoscopy. A segment of Spar's bowel was removed, and her abdominal cavity was disinfected. In the following weeks, Spar developed peritonitis, cysts, and fistulas and was hospitalized for five and one-half weeks. She returned to Dr. McKinnon the following June for cosmetic repair, and she required follow-up surgery in November 2001 to treat her cysts and remove an infected fallopian tube. She continues to experience periodic fever-like symptoms and severe bowel irregularity.