A woman who had 5.5cm bone within her body for more than a month after an operation to remove a dead foetus has been awarded €100,000 damages at the High Court.
Ms Fiona Griffin (45), with an address at Estuary Walk, Ballynoe, Cobh, Co Cork, sued Dr Rachel Patton, an obstetrician gynaecologist at the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork.
She had also sued the hospital but the case against the hospital was struck out.
Ms Griffin alleged pain and suffering as a result of the bone being left inside her following the operation by Dr Patton on January 23rd 1998 to evacuate a 17-week-old dead foetus. She underwent a further surgical procedure on March 23rd 1998 to remove this material.
In evidence, Dr Patton said she believed she had completely removed the foetus but she admitted that pieces could be left behind.
In a 37-page reserved judgment yesterday, Mr Justice O'Donovan found Dr Patton had fallen below an acceptable standard of care in not checking sufficiently to establish that the bone material was removed. He awarded €100,000 in damages.