Surgeon removes wrong organ and woman’s body begins to fail, MN lawsuit says
A Minnesota woman is suing after she says a doctor removed the wrong organ during surgery, leading to her body failing.
The medical malpractice lawsuit was filed May 16 in Hennepin County against Allina Health System and Devon Callahan, MD.
“Allina Health is aware of the lawsuit and has had the case reviewed by medical experts. While we will not discuss details of a patient’s care due to privacy laws, the court filings don’t accurately reflect the full picture of the patient’s condition or the life-saving medical care provided. We intend to vigorously defend, in court, the care that was provided,” a statement from Allina Health System to McClatchy News on May 20 said.
Attorney information for Callahan was not available.
On March 24, 2022, Wendy Rappaport went to a hospital with concerns about a ruptured spleen, the civil complaint said.
A CT scan was done and showed a “well-perfused” spleen, and she was scheduled to have it removed, the lawsuit said.
On March 28, Rappaport met with Callahan, who recommended the surgery and went over the risks of the procedure with her. Then, they headed for the operating room, the complaint said.
An open laparotomy was done, and afterward, Callahan wrote in his notes that he removed an “intact spleen,” the lawsuit said.
However, it wasn’t Rappaport’s spleen that was removed — it was her left kidney, according to the complaint.
A post-operative CT scan showed that her infected spleen was still there and her left kidney was not, the complaint said.
After her kidney was removed without her consent, Rappaport was diagnosed with respiratory failure, left pleural effusion, diastolic heart failure and Stage 5 kidney disease, according to the lawsuit.
She spent the next two months in the hospital from complications due to the kidney removal, the lawsuit said.
Rappaport also has to be on dialysis for renal function and impairment, according to the complaint.
The complaint said Callahan committed malpractice and “breached his duty of care.”
The lawsuit is asking for over $50,000 in damages.
This story was originally published May 20, 2025 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Surgeon removes wrong organ and woman’s body begins to fail, MN lawsuit says."
