Courts

Woman sues alleging she had infected wounds after breast implant removal

Dublin woman Roisin Millmoe told High Court one of her breasts began to leak blood after €7,000 surgery

Roisin Milmoe. Photograph: Collins Courts
Roisin Milmoe. Photograph: Collins Courts
Thu May 02 2024 - 19:45

A woman who claims she ended up with multiple wound infections following surgery to remove silicone breast implants has sued in the High Court.

Communications manager Roisin Milmoe (42) told the court that after the €7,000 surgery, one of her breasts began to leak blood and she had to be brought back to theatre hours later for a second operation.

Months afterwards, she said, she continued to have nightmares about the event in November 2015.

”I would wake up screaming and shouting. It was very harrowing for me. I was affected by it for months,” she told Ms Justice Denise Brett.

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Answering her senior counsel Aidan Walsh, appearing with David McGrath SC, Ms Milmoe said she has significant scarring on her breasts and it can be seen nine years after the operation.

Ms Milmoe, from Dundrum, Dublin, has sued cosmetic surgeon Labros Chatzis, with an address at Baggot Street Lower, Dublin, who carried out the surgery and Sheldon Investments Limited, trading as River Medical Group, with registered offices at Pleasants Street, Dublin, and which operated the River Medical Group at Lower Baggot Street, Dublin, over her care afterwards.

It is claimed Ms Milmoe in October 2015 attended the River Medical Group clinic and came under the care of the cosmetic surgeon.

The surgery, a bilateral breast implant removal combined with bilateral breast mastopexy, was carried out by the cosmetic surgeon on November 7th, 2015 at a Waterford theatre.

She has alleged she developed multiple post operative infections requiring several courses of antibiotics.

Ms Milmoe has claimed there was a failure to treat her appropriately or with appropriate skill and there was a failure to take any or any appropriate steps with regard to probable infection or to prescribe any or any proper antibiotics to prevent infection in time or at all.

It is further claimed she was caused to have delayed healing and there was an alleged failure to properly assess the risk of infection.

It is also claimed that during a post operative check at the River Medical Group clinic a week after the surgery she was examined by a nurse and a decision was taken to have her seen by a GP.

All of the claims are denied by both defendants and Sheldon Investments, trading as River Medical Group, also denies it provided the implant removal to Ms Milmoe.

Ms Milmoe, who was giving evidence in the first day of her action, said she had got the implants in Turkey in 2007 and had been very happy with them but after a car accident they were too heavy and she opted for implant removal.

After the three hours of surgery in 2015 she felt very sick and her left breast was bleeding to the extent it was “covering the sheets”. She said she was in agony and after the weekend operation she was discharged home on the Monday and was given one painkiller on discharge.

She said she was “genuinely traumatised” and in the second week afterwards she had “gaping wounds opening” as the breasts were not healing.

She told the court that after her operation she expected to have “access to somebody who cared” but she “was ignored”.

She said RiverMedical had said there would be a 24/7 aftercare service, but “they did not do it”.

After the operation, she said, she had to go on courses of antibiotics and is now left with a fold on the nipple of her right breast as well as scarring in her breast area.

She said she was in pain, and it felt like chronic pain.

“You can still see the scarring nine years later,” she told the judge.

The case continues.