Leven Rambin, known for her role in "Grey's Anatomy," has revealed she required emergency surgery after a routine laparoscopy for endometriosis resulted in her aorta being nicked. The actress, 36, shared the health scare on Instagram on Monday, posting selfies from her hospital bed.
Rambin explained that she had gone to the hospital for a scheduled diagnostic and removal procedure for endometriosis, a condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. A laparoscopy is typically a minimally invasive surgery that involves a small abdominal incision.
However, during the procedure, doctors accidentally caused a tear in her aorta, necessitating immediate repair surgery. "Going in for the endometriosis diagnostic and removal, and coming out with a nicked aorta, emergency surgery and a scar the size of my forearm was not on the bingo card," Rambin wrote on Instagram. She added that she had been diagnosed with stage 1 endometriosis and polyps.
She also shared in a TikTok video that the complication led to her having to withdraw from a new Netflix role. "I had a Netflix job I needed to be at in two weeks," she stated. "My doctor said I would be fine. But I woke up after surgery to many doctors and surgeons telling me they 'saved my life' after the doctor accidentally nicked my aorta."
Rambin reported that she received a blood transfusion and is currently on medication. Her mother has flown in to be with her. She expressed frustration, noting that when she asked the doctor if the incident was her fault, the doctor acknowledged it was. Rambin described the event as a "one-in-a-million freak accident."
Despite the traumatic experience, Rambin is focused on recovery, stating in a subsequent video, "I am up and walking after this crazy traumatic surgery." She added, "They told me that's the best thing for healing, and I'm a fing bad bh. I'm not gonna sit there and cry, although I have been crying. I think the reality is starting to hit me of what happened."
Rambin, who married event photographer Dawson Smith last July, had previously frozen her eggs and was undergoing the surgery to begin IVF treatments. She is best known for her role as Sloan Riley in season six of "Grey's Anatomy" and has also appeared in "All My Children," "Fire Country," "The Hunger Games," and "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters."