An expectant mother-of-seven is fighting for her life in a coma after doctors allegedly released her from hospital telling her she was fine - but she actually had a ruptured ectopic pregnancy.
Lisa Avila, whose children are aged seven months to 18, was 12 weeks' pregnant when she awoke with 'excruciating abdominal pain' at her home in Anaheim, California, on Valentines' Day.
She was rushed to hospital, where she underwent an ultrasound, her family said. After carrying out further tests, doctors reportedly gave her a prescription for a painkiller and told her to go home.
But just minutes later, while her husband, Robert, was collecting the Percocet prescription at a nearby Walgreens drugstore, Mrs Avila apparently stopped breathing in the parking lot.
Mr Avila called 911 and paramedics arrived at the scene. They rushed Mrs Avila back to Anaheim Regional Medical Center, where they discovered she had an ectopic pregnancy that had burst.
'She had an ectopic pregnancy that burst inside of her. She needed emergency surgery to stop the bleeding,' her aunt, Jessica Jule, said. 'For three hours, we didn't know if she was dead or alive.'
Following the emergency surgery to treat the rupture - which stemmed from a complication where the embryo had implanted outside Mrs Avila's uterus - the pregnant mom apparently fell into a coma.
She remains unconscious in an intensive care unit and is unable to breathe on her own. Her family is constantly at her side, according to ABC 7. And they are demanding answers from the hospital.
'They did an ultrasound, told them the baby was fine. They said there was nothing wrong,' Ms Jule said. 'Why did they make my niece leave hospital when obviously there was something wrong?'
Anaheim Regional Medical Center has now launched an investigation into the incident.
In a statement, the hospital told the news station that the safety of patients was its main priority.
'The physicians, nurses and staff at Anaheim Regional Medical Center care deeply for the health of this patient and our thoughts and prayers go out to her and her family,' a spokesman said.
Ectopic pregnancy occurs in around one of every 50 pregnancies. Instead of moving into the woman's uterus, the embryo remains in her fallopian tube or, in rare cases, attaches to an ovary.
The condition requires emergency attention. It typically happens within the first few weeks of pregnancy, with symptoms including light bleeding, abdominal pain and nausea and vomiting.
In almost all cases, the baby does not survive.