NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
An Iowa woman died after a routine hernia repair, suffering from an infection and fatal symptoms of constipation that hospital staff considered “normal,” according to her family’s lawsuit against the surgeon and two registered nurses.
Laura Belt, 46, died in May 2024 from complications related to a bowel perforation that led to bleeding — complications that Decatur County Hospital staff allegedly missed, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
His family is suing Dr. Edwin Vincent Wehling and nurses Brandi Oesch and Tammy Roberts for medical malpractice at Decatur County Hospital, which is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
The Iowa Board of Medicine also charged Wehling with “incompetence” and practicing in a manner that is “harmful and detrimental to the public,” the source said. A board hearing on the disciplinary charges is scheduled for September.
YOUNG LAWYER DIES AFTER NORMAL EXAMINATION THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN REJECTED
Laura Belt, 46, died in May 2024 from complications related to a bowel perforation leading to bleeding. (Tharp Funeral Home and Crematory)
Wehling underwent Belt surgery, while Oesch and Roberts handled his recovery, after undergoing hernia surgery at a Decatur County hospital, according to the lawsuit, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported.
After the surgery, Belt allegedly told staff she felt “uncomfortable” and “very anxious and crying” as she suffered from “constant discharge” of “a lot of watery, brown fluid” from her incision. Belt is also said to have not had a bowel movement since the surgery, according to the source.
Bande was released from the hospital a week after hernia surgery. The mutilation site continued for more than a week after it was removed, according to the complaint.
The woman sent Roberts pictures of the brown liquid.
The brown fluid was determined to be feces, and the nurses assured him that this was not unusual, according to the complaint.
Dr. Edwin Vincent Wehling and nurses Brandi Oesch and Tammy Roberts were charged with medical malpractice. (Google Maps)
“Contacted Brandi, she says everything is normal … Brandi said the cut will be reduced like this for at least a month,” Roberts texted Belt on May 9, 2024.
The day after the interview with Roberts, Belt’s family says they had a video with Oesch and showed him the brown fluid that was still coming out of the wound, but they say he was not told to seek emergency care.
On May 11, 2024, Belt was taken by ambulance to Wayne County Hospital’s Emergency Department, where he was told that his incision showed signs of death, necrotic tissue and a “constant flow” of stool, and he was diagnosed with shock from a hernia repair, according to the lawsuit.
Two days later, Oesch allegedly added a postscript to Belt’s medical record at Decatur County Hospital, confirming that he had a video call with Belt and indicating that the woman was crying and that fluid had come out of her wound on the bathroom floor during the call.
“The nurse told me to call Dr. Wehling for advice. The nurse notified Dr. Wehling and then requested that the (antibiotic) Bactrim be started,” Oesch wrote, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit says no prescription for Bactrim was ever ordered.
WOMAN ACCUSED OF TREATING THOUSANDS OF PATIENTS AS FAKE NURSE
Laura Belt died on May 15, 2024. (Stock)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
Belt died on May 15, 2024, and Wehling, Oesch and Roberts have all denied wrongdoing.
Wehling said the cause of Belt’s injuries and complications “may have been a pre-existing medical condition and/or a medical condition that occurred later for which (he) was not at fault,” according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
The case is scheduled for Aug. 23.
