Oregon woman alleges delayed sepsis treatment after hysterectomy led to amputations
A $68.5 million lawsuit alleges that delays in diagnosing and treating sepsis after Trisha Stevens’s hysterectomy led to her losing her hands, legs and lips. The 46-year-old mother of six nearly died, and says the experience has left her confronting profound physical and personal loss.
The lawsuit names three doctors and two Portland-area hospitals. It alleges that pathology results showed inflammation four days after surgery on 4 October 2024, but Stevens’s worsening symptoms were not acted on; on 22 October, she was reportedly advised to rest and hydrate despite bleeding, fever and pain. She was later diagnosed with septic shock, and the filing accuses doctors of failing to recommend urgent surgery; these are allegations, not established findings.
- A lawsuit alleges delayed sepsis care caused catastrophic injuries.
- Trisha Stevens is seeking $68.5 million in damages.
- Three doctors and two hospitals are named as defendants.
New here? Start with this
A hysterectomy is an operation to remove the womb. Sepsis is a serious infection that spreads through the body and can cause severe damage to tissue and organs. Trisha Stevens, a 46-year-old woman, had a hysterectomy in October 2024 and subsequently developed sepsis, resulting in the loss of her hands, legs and lips.
According to the lawsuit, doctors delayed in diagnosing and treating Stevens's sepsis, allowing her condition to deteriorate. The filing states that tests showed signs of inflammation four days after surgery, but her worsening symptoms were not acted upon; a week later, she was reportedly advised to rest and hydrate despite experiencing bleeding, fever and pain. When septic shock was eventually diagnosed, the lawsuit claims doctors did not recommend urgent surgery that might have prevented the amputations.
Stevens is suing three doctors and two Portland-area hospitals for $68.5 million over the incident. The case raises questions about how quickly medical professionals should respond to warning signs of sepsis after surgery, a condition that can be fatal without prompt treatment. The allegations in the lawsuit have not yet been established as fact.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Medical professionals have a fundamental duty to act promptly when objective clinical evidence—such as elevated inflammation markers shown by pathology four days post-surgery—indicates serious complications. When a patient presents with persistent fever, bleeding, and severe pain alongside abnormal laboratory results, and when sepsis is a known risk after surgery, the standard of care requires swift diagnostic action and escalation to emergency treatment. The severity of the outcome and the timeline of delayed response between identified abnormal findings and eventual treatment suggest care fell below accepted standards.
The case against
Sepsis remains one of medicine's most challenging diagnoses, with presentations that overlap significantly with normal post-surgical recovery, and experienced clinicians can reasonably disagree about timing of intervention based on incomplete information in the moment. Inflammation markers alone do not confirm sepsis, fever and pain are common after major surgery, and determining when symptoms warrant emergency intervention rather than conservative management requires clinical judgment that can vary among competent practitioners. The lawsuit represents allegations rather than established findings, and without full medical records and expert testimony, it would be premature to conclude that these doctors' decisions fell below the standard of care rather than reflecting the inherent difficulty of diagnosis in real time.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Daily Mail as “Mother-of-six, 46, lost her legs, hands and lips after hysterectomy went badly wrong, $68m lawsuit alleges”.