A lawsuit filed by attorneys David Pyle and Shian Koryat against the Clalit kupat cholim (HMO) and the Terem Emergency Medical Center claims the patient received erroneous treatment, which turned a young promising scientist to a “broken vessel” as her lawyers describe her condition.

According to the lawsuit, the 31-year-old patient, who now has type 1 diabetes (Juvenile diabetes), was traveling in Costa Rica. The woman was diagnosed in a local hospital and was given insulin.

Juvenile diabetes is characterized by the pancreas stopping to produce insulin, which may lead to the development of a condition called metabolic acidosis (DKA) – a life-threatening condition, especially among adults. Treatment of type 1 diabetes requires the daily administration of insulin – and when this treatment is not given – the level of acidity in the blood increases and this can lead to severe damage, including death.

The lawsuit alleges that upon her return home to Israel, the woman continued using insulin, which she receipted in Costa Rica. She was instructed by her family physician to take a blood test. Despite the results of the bloodwork and the clinical picture, which concurred with the diagnoses in Costa Rica, her physician instructed her to stop insulin treatment and he gave her a prescription for a drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, which is ineffective for type 1. She received a prescription for Victoza (Liraglutide).

According to her attorneys, due to the lack of proper treatment, the women developed symptoms of DKA once again, and she then arrived at a Terem Emergency Medical Center in Bnei Brak.

The lawsuit states the doctor on call checked the patient and made the determination that she was not suffering from DKA, giving her a prescription for type 2 diabetes along with pills against nausea. This despite the fact her bloodwork pointed directly to type 1 diabetes.

As her condition continued to deteriorate, she arrived in the emergency room of Mayanei HaYeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak, where they immediately determined her condition was life-threatening. She was admitted to an intensive care unit, and B’chasdei Hashem, her life was saved.

According to the lawsuit, the woman is currently suffering from severe balance problems, numbness of the hands and feet, loss of strength in her limbs, fatigue and difficulties in her work.

Dr. Nirit Abiran Barak, an expert on diabetes and internal medicine, determined that the treatment given to her by Clalit physicians was in serious contrast to conventional medical practice. According to her, the condition of DKA, as long as it is diagnosed on time, can be treated without irreversible damage to the patient’s body.

According to her, Dr. Barak, the duty doctor at the Terem clinic worsened her situation by determining she did not suffer from DKA, whereas all the symptoms indicated the opposite, a life-threatening picture.

According to Dr. Barak, in this situation the doctor should have referred her to a emergency room. In the determination of the Terem doctor, s/he did not change the incorrect treatment given to her by the family doctor, and as a result her condition worsened – and irreversible damage resulted.

According to attorney, the woman, who graduated with honors from Technion University, and until she became disabled, was considered a promising employee in one of Israel’s defense industries, has become a wreck. She has difficulty performing daily tasks, suffers from repeated falls, fatigue and difficulty in carrying loads.

According to them, as a result of the wrong treatment, the woman suffered significant health and financial damages, and her earning capacity was severely damaged.

Dr. Irit Werber, an expert neurologist, determined that as a result of the incorrect treatment, the woman had a permanent neurological disability of 60%.

The lawsuit is seeking NIS millions in damages in the name of the woman. The lawsuit was filed with the Lod District Court.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)