Oregon Woman Sues Doctors After Infection Leads to Amputations

An Oregon mother of six is seeking $68.5 million in damages with her husband after an infection following a hysterectomy led to the amputation of both her legs and her right hand. Trisha Stevens and Brian Stevens filed a lawsuit against several Portland-area doctors and Legacy Health, alleging medical negligence and delays in treating her worsening condition.

According to the lawsuit, Dr. Alvin Nakamura performed Stevens' hysterectomy at Adventist Health in Portland on October 4, 2024. Pathology results four days later showed inflammation, but the complaint alleges there is no record that Nakamura reviewed the findings, informed Stevens, or took action to address them.

About two weeks after surgery, Stevens experienced severe abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding while attending her son's softball game. She contacted Nakamura's clinic, Bridgetown Medical Group, reporting continued bleeding, a blood clot, a low-grade fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping.

The lawsuit says the clot was described as:

"the size of a baseball," according to the lawsuit.

Through a nurse, Nakamura advised Stevens to monitor the bleeding at home and visit the office if she passed another clot, the complaint states. Her condition deteriorated, and she went to the emergency department at Legacy Mount Hood later that night.

According to the lawsuit, Stevens arrived with a rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure, and rapid breathing. The complaint describes her bleeding as:

"saturating vaginal pads with blood at a rate of three per hour," according to the lawsuit.

Hospital staff diagnosed Stevens with peritonitis, lactic acidosis, and acute kidney injury. She was later diagnosed with bacteria in her bloodstream and septic shock. The complaint alleges that on-call OB/GYN Dr. Gregory Eilers identified a problem with the surgical wound but did not recommend surgery or test for an infection inside the abdomen.

The lawsuit further alleges that the infection spread after Stevens was admitted, causing multiple organ failure. Over the following weeks, doctors amputated both legs above the knees and her right hand at the wrist. Surgeons also removed her left thumb and portions of a finger on her left hand.

Tissue necrosis caused additional damage, including the loss of portions of her lips and tongue. Stevens also experienced hair loss and spinal cord damage that left her paraplegic.

Describing the consequences of her medical complications to KGW, Stevens said:

"I came home having lost both of my legs and my right hand. My left hand was left unusable after the necrosis. I lost parts of my lips and tongue, and I live with paralysis in a body that no longer responds the way it once did."

Stevens also described the emotional impact of surviving the infection and adjusting to permanent disabilities.

"There are days I still do not know which was harder: almost dying or waking up and realizing everything that was taken from me," Stevens told KGW.

She recalled how her injuries changed her ability to care for and spend time with her children.

"I was a wife who could reach for Brian's hand without thinking and a mother who could walk down the hallway when one of my children called my name," Stevens said.

Her daily routines once included comforting her children, driving, cooking, cleaning, and managing household responsibilities.

"I could climb into bed beside them after a nightmare, wrap both arms around them when they cried, and make them feel safe simply by being there. I could drive, cook, clean, care for my family and carry my share of our life. I never knew those ordinary things were freedoms until they were gone," Stevens said.

Brian Stevens now serves as his wife's caregiver. Their home presents additional challenges because it was not designed for wheelchair access, and the gravel driveway can prevent her from following her family outdoors.

Stevens described the difficulty of navigating the property she once crossed without assistance.

"Even the gravel driveway I crossed thousands of times without a second thought can stop my wheelchair from following my family outside," Stevens told KGW.

She also spoke about the contrast between surviving the infection and returning home with extensive disabilities.

"I fought so hard to survive because I wanted to come home to them. I never imagined that I could make it home and still sometimes feel as though I am living on the edge of the very life I fought so hard to return to," Stevens said.

The lawsuit alleges that Legacy Health staff negligently delayed treatment of Stevens' abdominal infection and mishandled her blood pressure. It also accuses Nakamura and Bridgetown Medical Group of failing to properly evaluate her reported symptoms or direct her to emergency care after the hysterectomy.

Stevens told KGW that losing her independence has been among the most difficult consequences of her injuries.

"I did not fight this hard simply to remain alive while life happens around me," Stevens said. "I survived because I desperately want to live it and God saved me!"