CHARLESTON – A St. Albans woman is suing Charleston Area Medical Center over an intrauterine device that mistakenly was implanted in her uterus in 1973.
Drema Igo filed her lawsuit March 20 in Kanawha Circuit Court.
Igo claims she was admitted into Charleston Memorial Hospital on Oct. 21, 1973 to give birth to her daughter.
During her admission, she and her former husband Ernest gave Dr. Ward Maxson consent to order a tubal ligation procedure on Igo, the complaint says.
The surgery was performed, but staff at the hospital also implanted an IUD in her uterus, the complaint says.
For years, Igo said she suffered great pain and discomfort. The IUD wasn't discovered until it was discovered by Dr. Michael Lao, a physician at CAMC said in 2007.
Igo claims she underwent a hysterectomy during which the IUD was removed.
She's seeking various damages, including reimbursement for more than $20,000 in medical bills.
Frank Armada is representing Igo. The case is before Kanawha Circuit Judge James Stucky.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 09-C-505
Woman sues CAMC over 35-year-old surgery
ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY