Iowa Woman Dies After Hernia Surgery as Staff Dismisses Infection Signs, Family Suit Alleges

An Iowa woman died after a routine hernia repair when she developed an infection and severe constipation that hospital staff dismissed as normal, her family's lawsuit against a surgeon and two nurses alleges.

Laura Belt, 46, died on May 15, 2024, from complications of a bowel perforation that caused sepsis. The problems went undetected by staff at Decatur County Hospital, according to the suit reported by the Iowa Capital Dispatch.

Belt's family has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Edwin Vincent Wehling, who performed the surgery, and registered nurses Brandi Oesch and Tammy Roberts. Decatur County Hospital is also a defendant.

The Iowa Board of Medicine has charged Wehling with professional incompetency and practicing in a manner harmful and detrimental to the public. A disciplinary hearing is set for September.

Belt underwent hernia repair surgery at Decatur County Hospital. Wehling operated, and Oesch and Roberts managed her postoperative care, the lawsuit states.

After the procedure, Belt reported feeling very uncomfortable, anxious and tearful. She had constant drainage of significant amounts of feculent brown liquid from her incision and had not had a bowel movement, according to the complaint.

Doctors discharged her a week later. The incision kept leaking more than a week after discharge.

Belt texted photos of the brown liquid to Roberts, who determined it was stool. The nurses said it was not abnormal.

"Consulted with Brandi, she states all is normal … Brandi stated incision will drain like this for at least a month," Roberts texted Belt on May 9, 2024.

The next day, Belt had a video call with Oesch and showed her the ongoing drainage from the wound. The lawsuit says Oesch did not tell her to seek emergency care.

On May 11, 2024, ambulance crews took Belt to Wayne County Hospital's emergency department. Staff found dead necrotic tissue at the incision, constant stool drainage and septic shock from an infection tied to the hernia repair.

Two days later, Oesch added a backdated note to Belt's electronic medical record at Decatur County Hospital. It described the video call, noted Belt was crying with fluid pouring onto the bathroom floor, and said Oesch had notified Wehling, who ordered the antibiotic Bactrim.

The lawsuit claims no Bactrim prescription was ever issued.

Wehling, Oesch and Roberts deny wrongdoing. Wehling argues Belt's injuries and complications may have stemmed from a pre-existing or later medical condition for which he bears no responsibility.

A trial is scheduled for Aug. 23.