The family of an Odessa woman who died the day after a laparoscopic hysterectomy have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her obstetrician-gynecologist and Permian Women’s Center.
According the lawsuit filed last week in Ector County District Court, Rocio Gordillo, 40, went to Dr. Pill Raja because she was experiencing pain and abnormal uterine bleeding and Raja scheduled her for a total laparoscopic hysterectomy on Oct. 22, 2020.
During the surgery, Raja is accused of lacerating Gordillo’s abdominal aorta with a trocar, the device used to make small, puncture-like incisions, the lawsuit stated. Raja called in a vascular surgeon to repair the aorta and the surgeon found a 1 centimeter laceration in the aorta, a laceration to Gordillo’s small bowel mesentery and significant bleeding from the jejunal vein, according to the lawsuit.
The vascular surgeon and a general surgeon worked together to repair the abdominal aorta and during the repair, the single mother of two went into cardiac arrest and had to undergo CPR and get multiple units of blood and platelets, the lawsuit stated. She was taken to the cardiac care unit and died the next day.
A representative from Raja’s office stated she would have an attorney call the Odessa American with a statement. No call was received.
The lawsuit alleges Gordillo’s death certificate lists her cause of death as acute respiratory failure, multi-organ failure, coagulopathy and trocar injury to aorta. Raja listed her manner of death as “natural,” according to the lawsuit.
Raja is accused of being “reckless and overzealous” in his use of the trocar during the surgery and the lawsuit further alleges Permian Women’s Center is “liable for the negligent acts and omissions of its employees.”
The lawsuit, which was filed by Gordillo’s older daughter, Amber Alexandria Garcia, and her mother, Belen Gordillo Demagallon, are seeking general damages and punitive damages of more than $1 million for themselves and for Gordillo’s younger daughter, Dayanara Analy Salido.
