Iowa woman seeks $6M over what she says was botched surgery

A Lisbon woman is demanding $6 million after she says a surgeon at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics botched her brain surgery, leaving her permanently disabled.

The Des Moines Register reports that 77-year-old Ardeth Wray says in her claim that she was treated in 2015 for a noncancerous brain tumor. She says the neurosurgeon decided to operate instead of monitoring the slow-growing tumor.

The claim says the surgeon’s carelessness led to Wray developing an infection at the surgical site, and that the surgeon’s botched attempts to clean the wound and fix the damage resulted in a stroke, leaving Wray unable to speak. She can no longer live independently.

Hospital spokesman Tom Moore said the hospital and the doctor would not comment on a pending legal action.