Rappaport first arrived at Ridgeview Hospital in Waconia. A suspected rupture of an abscess on her spleen had given her fever, chills, nausea and vomiting. She was ultimately transferred to Abbott Northwestern where Dr. John Miller, an acute care surgeon, examined her.
Miller noted that the abscess on Rappaport’s spleen was near her colon and there could be a “significant” amount of scar tissue involving both organs. The splenectomy was scheduled for March 28 and performed by Callahan.
After the surgery, Callahan wrote in his postoperative notes that there was a great deal of scar tissue and “old, coagulated blood” that obscured the view of the colon and spleen. But the tail of the pancreas, which connects to the spleen, was visible and an “intact spleen” was removed along with the abscess.
A CT scan was taken of Rappaport’s abdomen and that scan was signed by Dr. Stephen Hite, who noted that “a left nephrectomy” was performed — indicating kidney removal. The lawsuit says there had been no discussion of removing Rappaport’s kidney. Three days before the surgery, medical records noted her kidneys were “unremarkable” with no suspicious masses or stones.
One day after the surgery, Callahan met with Rappaport and her daughters and explained that the “kidney removal was unintentional.” Callahan apologized for the mistake as the family began asking questions. Callahan explained the “usual course of recovery following the removal of a kidney, including the long-term effects of kidney removal.”
Rappaport’s kidney function weakened. Her creatinine level — which tracks waste product filtered by kidneys — was marked at a healthy 0.88 the day before her surgery. Six weeks later, it was 3.29, around three-times higher than the typical range for adult women.