The lawsuit says the woman underwent surgery for her spleen to be removed, but that's not the organ that was taken out.
MINNEAPOLIS — A woman who had the wrong organ removed during surgery in Minneapolis is now suing the doctor and health care system.
Wendy Rappaport filed the lawsuit after she says she went to Abbott Northwestern Hospital in March 2022 for concerns about her spleen.
The lawsuit states she was then scheduled to have her spleen removed. According to the suit, Dr. Devon Callahan wrote in his post-operative notes that he removed an intact spleen. However, a post-operative CT scan showed the infected spleen was still there, but her left kidney was removed.
"Plaintiff did not consent to the removal of her left kidney by Defendants," the lawsuit states.
Rappaport claims in her lawsuit that she was in the hospital for two months because of complications from the surgery, and was diagnosed with respiratory failure, left pleural effusion, and diastolic heart failure. She has also been diagnosed with stage 5 kidney failure "as a direct result of the removal of her left kidney," court documents say.
Abbott Northwestern Hospital is operated by Allina Health System, which told KARE 11 in a statement Monday that it plans to vigorously defend itself in court.
"Allina Health is aware of the lawsuit and has had the case reviewed by medical experts. While we will not discuss details of a patient’s care due to privacy laws, the court filings don’t accurately reflect the full picture of the patient’s condition or the life-saving medical care provided. We intend to vigorously defend, in court, the care that was provided," the statement read.
The lawsuit is filed against Dr. Callahan, Allina Health System, and Allina Health Surgical Specialists. In the lawsuit, Rappaport claims Callahan's procedure constitutes medical battery and that Allina Health Surgical Specialists is legally responsible.
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