A High Court judge yesterday awarded more than £70,000 damages to a woman whose lung was pierced when a doctor was draining a lump on her left breast six years ago.
Ms Geraldine O'Reilly (43), of Tirellan Heights, Headford Road, Galway, had sued Dr John Beirne and the Western Health Board.
The doctor and University Hospital Galway denied claims by Ms Byrne that she suffered a collapsed lung and later developed pneumonia or breathlessness.
In his judgment, Mr Justice Patrick Smith said Ms O'Reilly was admitted to the hospital on January 30th, 1992, to have a cyst drained.
Ms O'Reilly claimed Dr Beirne, assisted by a nurse, decided to insert a needle into her left breast. She alleged her left lung collapsed and that she contracted pneumonia, which led to breathlessness, pain and discomfort.
Mr Justice Smith said he was satisfied Dr Beirne followed a practice which was general and approved by his colleagues, but the practice as operated by him, which was the insertion of the needle into her small breast in a vertical manner with slight angulation, had inherent defects.
These ought to have been obvious to Dr Beirne, the judge said. The defects related to penetration of the needle too deeply so that it might come in contact with Ms O'Reilly's lung, which was precisely what happened in this case.
Ms O'Reilly had a most unpleasant time in hospital. She was frightened, not knowing precisely what was wrong with her, and when she did find out that she had a collapsed lung she was unaware of what the consequences would be.
She was discharged from hospital on February 4th, 1992, but readmitted on February 11th with pneumonia.
A respiratory physician called to give evidence on behalf of Dr Beirne and the health board accepted the pneumonia probably resulted from Ms O'Reilly's experience in the hospital and that the mild asthma she was suffering resulted from pneumonia.
Before January 1992 Mrs O'Reilly had been an active and sociable person, the judge said. She was involved in dancing, swimming, walking, badminton and heavy household work. Since then she had changed considerably.
Her walking and other activities were greatly restricted because of the asthma.
He found there was negligence and awarded damages of £70,720.