An elderly woman who requires 24-hour care which it is claimed is a result of alleged negligence in her care and treatment after a knee injury has secured a €600,000 settlement of her High Court action.
Mary Sheehan, now aged 78, had been independent and active and was responsible for the care of one of her adult children, who has special needs.
Now she is a person of unsound mind who is cared for at home by her six children, her barrister Oonagh McCrann said.
The case arose after Ms Sheehan, of Kilcoran, Cahir, Co Tipperary, suffered a fall in February 2014.
She injured her nose and two knees and in the following weeks, her knee pain worsened.
She attended a doctor who decided she needed septoplasty and possibly treatment for her left knee.
The doctor also decided that because of her pre-existing conditions, Ms Sheehan was not a candidate for general anaesthetic and there was no issue about that.
Ms Sheehan later attended Dr Imran Yousuf Sharif at the Hermitage Clinic, Dublin, who advised she required an arthoscopy of her left knee which was performed by him on 1 July 2014.
She was discharged home the next day but was taken by ambulance to South Tipperary General Hospital (STGH) four days later after a daughter found her unwell and unresponsive at home.
She had suffered cardiac arrest.
Ten days later she was transferred to Cork University Hospital, transferred back to STGH in early August and on 8 August from STGH to the Hermitage Clinic.
After an aspirate of the left knee was performed by Dr Sharif, Ms Sheehan was transferred back to STGH.
In late August, a left knee aspirate at STGH revealed an infection and, following other reviews and hospital transfers, a consultant orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon told her in October 2014 that her left knee, specifically the bone, was infected.
His recommendation to remove the infected bone, followed by fusion surgery, was endorsed by another consultant and she had that surgery in November 2015 at University Hospital Waterford.
After convalesence at another hospital, she was discharged home around 22 December 2015 where she required 24 hour care.
It was alleged that her care and treatment was not appropriately managed by the defendants and, as a consequence of the alleged negligence, she suffered injury, loss and damage. The claims were denied.
Ms Sheehan cannot be left alone, needs a walking stick/frame to mobilise and a modified wheelchair for outside the home, has significant psychological difficulties and feels isolated and depressed, it was claimed.
The settlement is against the Health Services Executive and Dr Sharif, of the Hermitage Clinic.
It was claimed the arthoscopy procedure that he carried out on 1 July 2014 was unnecessary and inappropriate because she had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, high blood pressure and was on multiple cardiac medications.
The case against the HSE, brought over her care at various hospitals, was that alleged septic arthritis in the left knee was not diagnosed in time.
The cause of Ms Sheehan's injuries was strongly disputed for reasons including that she had suffered an out of hospital cardiac arrest on 6 July 2014.
Margaret Sheehan, a daughter of Ms Sheehan, told Mr Justice Kevin Cross the family understood the matter was very complex and were accepting the offer.
"We have lived through it and have tried to do the best we could," she said.
Her mother, she added, "is incredible, anyone else would have died".
The judge praised Ms Sheehan, a nurse, and the family for the excellent care provided by them and said he would approve the settlement.
An application will be made later to have Ms Sheehan made a ward of court.
