HUNTINGTON — A man is suing St. Mary's Medical Center alleging medical malpractice occurred during a surgical procedure at the hospital.
Brian Pankey underwent a robotic lysis of adhesions, robotic takedown of end colostomy with resection of ostomy, small bowel resection and resection of rectosigmoid junction for history of diverticulitis with end colostomy on Oct. 16, 2020, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.
Pankey claims following the procedures, he had multiple abnormal findings in his lab results, but despite the abnormal results and a large hematoma occurring in his abdomen, Dr. Matthew Hofeldt discharged him on Oct. 19, 2020, in an unstable condition.
After spending one night at home, Pankey returned to the St. Mary’s emergency room on the evening of Oct. 20, 2020, in extreme distress, according to the suit.
Pankey claims he presented with complaints of abdominal pain, distention, nausea, vomiting and a temperature of 104 degrees. He was also tachycardic with a heart rate of 128 beats per minute. He was admitted to the ICU.
Over several months, Pankey suffered multi-organ failure and required pharmaceutical measures to maintain his blood pressure. He also had to have a bilateral below-the-knee guillotine amputation of his lower extremities and bi-lateral high trans-radial amputations of his upper extremities.
"That is, in layman’s terms, Mr. Pankey came to St. Mary’s for a colectomy reversal, and ultimately returned home four months later with no arms and no legs," the complaint states.
Pankey claims that Hofeldt, as an employee of St. Mary's, owed a duty to all patients to exercise a degree of care, skill and learning required or expected of a health care facility and provider.
Pankey is seeking compensatory damages. He is represented by Raj A. Shah, John H. Tinney Jr. and John K. Cecil of Hendrickson & Long in Charleston.