BELLEVILLE — Gateway Regional Medical Center and others are facing a lawsuit from a patient who alleges she suffered complications from gastrointestinal surgery.
Melissa Porter and Robert Porter filed a complaint in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Kurt Sprunger, M.D., Center for Gastrointestinal Health and Gateway Regional Medical Center, alleging negligence.
The plaintiffs allege in their complaint that the defendants failed to use ordinary care in the treatment of Melissa Porter during surgery while she was a patient at Gateway Regional Medical Center on June 22, 2020.
The plaintiffs claim the defendants were negligent for failing to abandon her laparoscopic procedure when the "amount of intra-abdominal adipose tissue obscured anatomical landmarks" and negligently injured her phrenic artery, which caused her to hemorrhage.
The plaintiffs also claim the defendants negligently stapled the orogastric in the gastric pouch and left the tube tip in the gastric pouch, which required her to be opened again. They allege the defendants also failed to ensure the "integrity of the gastropjejunostomy anastomosis."
The plaintiffs claim that as a result of the defendants' negligent actions, Melissa Porter has suffered pain and both plaintiffs have incurred medical and hospital treatment costs.
The Porters seek compensation of more than $50,000 and all other just relief. They are represented by Colleen Jones of Cook, Bartholomew, Shelvin, Cook & Jones LLP in Belleville.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 22LA0263