Woman Dies After Hernia Surgery in Iowa

A woman from Iowa passed away following complications from a hernia repair surgery, leading her family to file a lawsuit against a surgeon and two nurses. They allege that the hospital staff ignored serious issues that arose after the procedure.

Laura Belt, aged 46, died in May 2024, with a perforated bowel being the primary issue, leading to sepsis. This, according to reports, was overlooked by the staff at Decatur County Hospital.

The lawsuit names Dr. Edwin Vincent Wehring, along with nurses Brandi Oesch and Tammy Roberts, claiming medical malpractice on behalf of the hospital as well. In a related development, the Iowa Medical Board has cited Wehring for “professional incompetence” and harmful practices, with a hearing scheduled for September.

Post-surgery, Belt expressed distress about “large amounts of brown feces” oozing from her incision site, claiming it made her “very uncomfortable,” “anxious,” and “tearful.” Alarmingly, she hadn’t had a bowel movement since the surgery, which raised serious concerns.

Belt was discharged about a week later, but the incision was still leaking. In a desperate attempt, she sent a picture of the brown fluid to Roberts. The nurses dismissed her worries, assuring her it was a normal occurrence.

On May 9, Roberts texted Berto, stating that blood drainage from the incision could last a month. Yet, just a day later, Belt’s family decided to video-call Oesch, revealing the brown fluid was still flowing, but they were not told to go to the emergency room.

Eventually, on May 11, she was taken by ambulance to Wayne County Hospital’s emergency department, where staff noted signs of dead tissue at the incision and that she was “continuously passing stool.” She was diagnosed with septic shock stemming from an infection related to the surgery.

Two days later, Oesch added a note to Belt’s electronic medical records, noting the distress visible during the video call. Despite this, the complaint states that a prescription for the necessary antibiotic was never ordered.

Belt unfortunately passed away on May 15, 2024. The defendants deny any wrongdoing. Wehring has argued that Belt’s complications were due to pre-existing conditions not attributed to his actions. A trial is set to take place on August 23rd.