An Ohio couple has filed a medical malpractice suit against West Virginia-based University Physicians & Surgeons hospital and a Huntington, W.Va., physician.

On May 5, 2008, a woman came to the University Physicians & Surgeons clinic complaining of pain in her left side and back and nausea that had last for four days. As a result the doctor ordered a CT scan, which "revealed bilateral non-obstructing renal calculi and mild left hydronephrosis, secondary to a 0.9 cm left UPC calculus."

The couple claims that the doctor and the hospital were aware of the CT scan results no later than May 8. "She was seen for follow-up appointments on May 20 and June 18 and was prescribed narcotic pain medication for treatment of the renal stone and was referred to a endocrinologist for evaluation of the chemical composition of the stone."

On Aug. 15, 2008, the woman consulted a urologist and discovered she had a 10 mm left renal calculus. Five days later, the urologist performed a "cystoscopy left retrograde pyelogram, left ureteroscopy with laser lithotripy and left double-J stent insertion for treatment of the stone."

On March 10, 2009, a renal scan revealed that the woman's kidney was functioning at 6.6 percent. On May 18, a doctor at the clinic performed a robotic laparoscopic left nephrectomy on the woman due to her non-functioning kidney.

The suit claims that the doctor and the hospital failed to exercise reasonable care in their treatment for her by failing to appropriately monitor the left urethal stone and failing to timely refer her to a urologist or nephrologist.   

Source: WV Record "Ohio Couple filed medical malpractice suit" 09/1/2010