Boock BELLEVILLE â A patient claims she suffered serious complications after laparoscopic surgery for GERD due to her physician's alleged negligence. Veroncia Douglas filed a complaint May 12 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Kurt Sprunger, M.D., and Granite City Illinois Hospital Company LLC, doing business as Gateway Regional Medical Center, alleging medical Malpractice. According to Douglas' complaint, she underwent a "laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication" for GERD symptoms, which was performed by Sprunger on March 12, 2020. Douglas alleges that after the surgery, she suffered "significant complications," including trouble swallowing, fever, nausea, shortness of breath and severe chest and abdominal pain. Douglas claims that on March 20, 2020, she was at Belleville Memorial Hospital for treatment of her complications. A CT scan allegedly showed that she had an "intra-abdominal abscess" and a build up of gas and fluid at her surgical site. She alleges the defendants were negligent for failing to properly evaluate her medical and surgical history and failing to recognize her medical condition "contraindicated proceeding" with his GERD surgery.