Studies of my arteries revealed that all the vessels below my left knee
were irreparably closed off, while the remainder of my vessels were normal.
The only explanation,
this had to have been caused by a local injury to the arteries in my left leg.
But what had happened to my left leg that had not happened to my right?
The only difference had been a left Achilles tendon repair in 1995,
17 years earlier.
I reviewed the dictated operative report and realized that the surgeon
had used a tourniquet above my left knee to prevent any bleeding.
The surgery had been complicated and the tourniquet had been left in place under
high pressure for a very prolonged period, probably over two hours.
The pathology of my amputated leg revealed extensive scarring of
two out of the three arteries below my knee.
Scarring that took many years to develop.
Consistent with arterial injury at the time of surgery.
The injured vessels had progressively scarred to the point that they closed off
leaving now vessels to bypass.
The only solution was an amputation.
And it is clear to me that I lost my leg as a consequence of a tourniquet being
left on it for too long.
My leg was lost as a consequence of an error.
What did this error cost?
My insurance paid $138,903 and I paid $55,000,
for a total of nearly a $195,000.
Not to mention missing six months of work, six months of physical therapy,
and great emotional and physical stress for both me, and my family.