(Editor's note: This story has been updated).
EDWARDSVILLE — A man claims his surgical wound burst open after a nurse at Anderson Hospital in Maryville left him alone as he attempted to walk to the restroom.
Michael Whitford filed a complaint Oct. 30 in the Madison County Circuit Court against Anderson Hospital, alleging negligence.
Whitford states in his complaint that on Feb. 12, he underwent surgery for a total knee replacement at Anderson Hospital in Maryville. He alleges that on Feb. 13, while under a nerve block, a nurse helped him out of bed and then left him alone to try and walk to the restroom. Whitford claims that as he attempted to walk by himself to the restroom, he "suffered a dehiscence of his surgical wound, i.e. a splitting or bursting open of the surgical site, requiring an immediate surgical repair."
He alleges that the Anderson Hospital nurse failed to properly assess his ability to walk safely, failed to provide him with a bedpan and left a high fall risk patient alone to walk to the restroom. Whitford also alleges in his complaint that the nurses' supervisor acknowledged to his family that he should not have let the incident happen.
He claims he has suffered pain, lost wages and has expended large sums of money for hospital and medical care treatment as a result of the alleged incident.
Whitford seeks compensation of more than $50,000 and all other just relief. He is represented by Matthew Chapman of Becker, Schroader & Chapman PC in Granite City.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 20-L-001531