I went for routine surgery and doctors removed the wrong organ… now I require lifelong care
A woman is suing a Minnesota hospital after surgeons allegedly mistakenly removed her healthy kidney during an operation intended to take out her spleen.
Wendy Rappaport, 84, now requires dialysis and has been diagnosed with the most severe form of kidney disease because without both functioning kidneys, her body can no longer properly filter waste and excess fluid from her blood.
This puts her at risk of life-threatening complications and organ failure, potentially killing her in a matter of years.
Rappaport was admitted to Abbott Northwestern Hospital in March 2022 to have her spleen removed due to a ruptured abscess that could cause a severe infection if not treated.
Spleen removal surgery is typically a routine, safe, and common procedure often done through small incisions that improve recovery time. But given its close proximity to the kidneys, a precise hand is key.
But during the surgery, doctors instead removed her left kidney, leaving the infected body part behind.
Doctors did not realize their mistake until taking a CT scan while Rappaport was recovering in the hospital.
The scan revealed a space where her kidney should have been, and remaining infected spleen tissue.
Rappaport was confined to a hospital bed for two months with stage 5 kidney disease and infection in her spleen.
Wendy Rappaport, 59, requires dialysis and has been diagnosed with the most severe form of kidney disease because without both functioning kidneys, her body can no longer properly filter waste and excess fluid from her blood
Rappaport was forced to undergo dialysis treatments. For about four hours three times a week, kidney disease patients have to be hooked up to a machine that cycles through the blood removing toxins, a job that failing kidneys cannot do.
Rappaport, who has filed a lawsuit against the hospital and her surgeon, Dr Devon Callahan, says the mistake has left her with life-threatening kidney disease and permanent health problems.
Her kidney function has sharply declined since the surgery.
Medical records show her creatinine levels, a key marker of kidney health, rose from 0.88 before surgery to 3.29 six weeks later — a sign the kidney was failing to properly filter waste from her blood.
The lawsuit is alleging medical malpractice and medical battery, accusing Dr Callahn of breaching his duty of care and inflicting permanent damage on Rappaport.
Dr Callahan has not publicly commented on the case. Still, Allina Health, which owns the hospital, said the court filings ‘don’t accurately reflect the full picture of the patient’s condition or the life-saving medical care provided.’
The hospital said its team provided ‘life-saving care,’ but medical records show that three days before surgery, Rappaport’s kidneys looked normal, with no signs of problems that would require removal.
Dr Callahan’s notes after surgery said he removed the spleen intact. However, a CT scan later showed her left kidney had been taken out instead, and some spleen tissue was still inside her.
During the surgery, doctors mistakenly removed her left kidney, leaving the infected spleen behind. Doctors did not realize their mistake until taking a CT scan while Rappaport was recovering in the hospital
A surgeon from the University of Iowa, Dr Isaac Samuel, reviewed Rappaport’s records and said this was a medical mistake caused by negligence.
He said that Dr Callahan didn’t follow standard medical practice and didn’t do his job properly, which led to Rappaport’s kidney injury and made her existing kidney problems worse.
Because of this, she needed more treatment and had to pay a mountain of extra medical bills.
Removing the spleen is a fairly common surgery done about 22,000 times a year.
The organ sits under the ribs on the upper left side of the belly, just above the kidney, separated by a thin layer of tissue.
Doctors remove it for reasons like injury, blood disorders, tumors, or cysts. People can live normally without a spleen.
While it plays a role in immune function and blood filtration, other organs like the liver and lymph nodes can compensate for most of its duties after removal.
But losing a kidney can cause lifelong problems. The remaining kidney has to work harder, which can lower its function over time.
Having only one kidney makes it harder for the body to filter toxins, control blood pressure, and increases the risk of kidney disease later.
Rappaport is suing for $50,000 in damages.
Allina Health said they plan to strongly defend the care they gave in court.
