The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE family of 42-year-old Lamond Brice is demanding accountability from Princess Margaret Hospital after alleging a surgeon admitted accidentally damaging a vein during an operation, leaving Mr Brice with dying intestines.

Mr Brice was admitted to PMH on September 3 for surgery to remove what his family said doctors had determined was a non-cancerous mass from his stomach.

His relatives said the first operation was performed on September 4 and initially appeared successful. However, they said his condition deteriorated after he began vomiting and suffering severe stomach pain.

In a statement, PHA said it was aware of the family’s concerns about Mr Brice’s treatment and that the complaints were under review.

Mr Brice underwent a CT scan before being rushed into a second operation on September 7, according to his niece, Marissa Rolle.

Ms Rolle said the family was told his intestines were already dying.

Mr Brice’s aunt, Malaya Curry, alleged that doctors later told the family his intestines were dead but did not initially explain how the damage occurred.

She said the family was subsequently advised that Mr Brice would be taken to the Intensive Care Unit and undergo another operation.

Ms Curry alleged his abdomen was left open for about three days after that procedure and that doctors attempted to repair the damaged vein by attaching another vein from his thigh to his stomach.

A third operation was later performed in an attempt to restore his intestines, according to the family, but was unsuccessful.

Ms Curry said the family repeatedly met doctors without being told there had been a complication during the original operation.

She alleged that after she pressed doctors for answers, she spoke with the head surgeon during the week of Mr Brice’s operations and was told a vein had been damaged during the first surgery.

“He said, ‘I am sorry. I made a mistake,’” Ms Curry recalled.

“We had meetings over meetings, and they never told me,” she said. “Because I raised the question, and that’s how he confessed to the whole situation.”

Ms Curry said she had specifically asked one of Mr Brice’s doctors whether his intestines had already been damaged when he arrived at PMH and was told they had been functioning normally.

She accused the hospital of depriving the family of an opportunity to seek treatment elsewhere by failing to tell them sooner what had happened.

“If they had told me the truth and been honest with me,” she said, “I could’ve probably saved his life or do more to get more help.”

Ms Curry alleged doctors subsequently told the family there was nothing further they could do and that Mr Brice would eventually die, with efforts instead focused on keeping him comfortable.

“He’s lying there and he’s dying,” she said.

Ms Curry said Mr Brice remains alert but cannot speak because of tubes in his mouth. She said waste from his bowels is instead passing through tubes in his mouth and nose.

“I really would like the doctors at PMH to be held accountable for what they did,” she said. “It hurt to my core in my heart to see my nephew in the hospital. I got to go every day to see him suffering, dying a slow death because of the hands at PMH.”

The family described Mr Brice, a father and son, as the “life of the party” before his illness. His relatives said they have watched his body deteriorate dramatically since the operations.

Ms Rolle became emotional while describing the impact on the family.

“I wish this pain on no one because now we don’t know whether to turn left or right,” she said. “We’re just asking and leaning on the faith of God.”

The family submitted a letter to the Public Hospitals Authority this week and is seeking legal action over the alleged negligence.

Ms Rolle said PMH should cover the cost of overseas treatment for her uncle, who she said needs a Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) machine — a portable pump that delivers liquid nutrients directly into a vein — and an intestinal transplant.

“It’s too many families going into PMH and having to go through the same thing, negligence after negligence,” she said. “So, we just want justice. We just want him to get the right treatment needed.”

The PHA said PMH remained in communication with the family during that process.

“PHA takes concerns regarding patient care seriously and remains committed to ensuring that all matters raised are appropriately reviewed in accordance with established clinical and administrative procedures,” the statement said.

PHA said it could not comment further on the details of Mr Brice’s medical care because of patient confidentiality and the ongoing review.