Man has all 4 limbs amputated after ‘routine surgical procedure’ goes horribly fallacious

Chad Gerlaugh, 46, was left with no limbs after he went into septic shock following a routine surgery to remove a kidney stone at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, Florida

A Florida man has lost all of his limbs after what was supposed to be a routine procedure, and has now filed a lawsuit against the hospital. accusing them of failing to manage his care properly.

Chad Gerlaugh, 46, was admitted to the hospital for kidney stone removal in April 2019. The operation reportedly went smoothly, however he developed an inflection and had to have his arms and legs amputated a few days later.

Gerlaugh said: “My life is never going to be the same. I’ve got to ask for help for everything.”

After the first surgery, his blood pressure plummeted and his heart stopped beating for several minutes. Doctors discovered that he had developed an infection post-surgery, leading to sepsis, a condition that causes organ failure.

Gerlaugh was given strong antibiotics and a vasopressor drug to treat his low blood pressure, which caused his blood vessels to constrict. This medication redirected blood away from his limbs towards his vital organs.

Over the following days, his arms and legs began to turn black due to lack of blood flow.

Gerlaugh has been wheelchair-bound since 1998 after a car accident resulted in spinal damage and limited arm movement. Before these life-altering amputations, Gerlaugh had been independent, holding down a job as a technical support worker, reports the Mirror US.

But post-amputation, he’s become completely reliant on his loved ones for everything from bathing and eating to using the bathroom.

Gerlaugh’s legal team believes his remaining limbs are too short for prosthetic attachment.

They had filed a lawsuit against Morton Plant Hospital, accusing them of failing to manage their client’s care properly and asserting that better management could have prevented the need for amputation.

The lawsuit was eventually settled outside of court for an undisclosed sum. Meanwhile, BayCare officials, who oversee the hospital, have commented that Morton Plant Hospital is dedicated “to maintaining the highest standards of patient care possible.”

In a statement, they said: “Our team makes patient safety a top priority and has carefully reviewed this patient’s journey to find any opportunities to learn from his experience.”

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