LOS ANGELES (AP) A woman filed a malpractice suit against Los
Angeles County-USC Medical Center on Monday, claiming her bowel was
punctured during a botched operation at the hospital, her attorney
said.
Nancy Whitaker, of Los Angeles, is seeking damages for past and
future medical treatment and loss of earnings, said her attorney,
Louanne Masry Weeks, daughter of well-known lawyer Ed Masry.
Whitaker accuses the hospital of medical malpractice stemming
from her surgery on Oct. 7 last year for a lumbar laminectomy to
relieve back and leg pain, Weeks said.
The procedure involves making a small incision in the lower back
through which a surgeon reaches the lumbar spine to relieve
pressure on a nerve root.
Whitaker worked as a nurse, but not with the hospital, Weeks
said.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)