Following a urinary-retention surgery, Charles E. Shreve was allegedly informed by a nurse at the Tennessee Urology Association that he would have to perform a self-catheterization at home, for “continuous bladder irrigation.”


According to the lawsuit filed by Shreve and his wife, Shreve was told to insert a catheter through his penis into his urethra. The complaint says that Shreve, who had no prior experience in self-catheterization, and was not directed by medical staff regarding the proper way to self-catheterize, got the catheter about three inches in when he experienced severe pain, and allegedly lost consciousness, hit his mouth, knocked out three teeth, and broke his neck. The suit claims that when Shreve woke, he was paralyzed from the neck down.


The lawsuit claims that his nurse made the decision for Shreve to self-catheterize on her own, and without consulting with his physician. The complaint also says that Shreve was given no instruction regarding how to perform the self-catheterization and that while he was attempting to do it the nurse had her back to him and “not in a position to prevent or guard against his fall.” Shreve and his wife have filed a lawsuit against his physician, John-Paul Lamar Newport, and the Tennessee Urology Association seeking $10 million in damages.


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