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A teenager who was left paralysed from the waist down after a hospital mistakenly left a spinal anaesthetic in place for two days has started a medical negligence compensation claim.
The 17-year-old, from Newport in South Wales, was 14 years old when she was admitted to Birmingham Children's Hospital in May 2008 for an operation to remove gallstones.
Following the successful routine operation the teenager was given a spinal epidural anaesthetic to help ease the pain. However, the claimant began to feel numbness in her legs and feet and, despite complaining of the problem, hospital staff continued to use the anaesthetic.
It was later revealed in an MRI scan that the painkiller had damaged her spinal cord after the anaesthetic had been left in place for too long, resulting in the paralysis.
The personal injuries sustained due to the medical negligence have left the teenager wheelchair-bound for the rest of her life.
Following a three-year legal battle, the hospital trust has admitted liability for the incident. The teenager and her family are now waiting to hear how much medical negligence compensation will be awarded.
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