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Inquest told of hospital blunders
AN INQUEST into the death of a mother of four heard yesterday that "gross omissions" were made when she was taken to hospital suffering from what turned out to be the effects of a perforated ulcer.
Alison Christian, 36, had already been to Sheffield's Northern General Hospital once, but on that occasion an accident and emergency doctor told her she had a chest infection.
But a coroner's court heard that when she and her partner returned to the hospital the following day her symptoms should have meant she was "looked at very carefully and admitted" – instead she was sent home.
Giving evidence at the hearing in Sheffield yesterday, Dr Timothy Jackson, a consultant in accident and emergency at Hull Royal Infirmary, said a junior doctor had missed vital indications of Miss Christian's "very serious" condition.
"The patient had a pulse of 148 beats per minute which is significantly above what it should be at about 72 to 80. We are looking at a pulse which is twice what is normal. That should suggest that there is something significant going on," said Dr Jackson.
"You certainly can't underplay the fact that this lady has a heart rate of nearly 150. On the basis of this I don't think there is a doctor in the country who wouldn't say the patient needed looking at very carefully and admitting."
Dr Jackson also said the doctor, whom the court heard had now emigrated from Britain, should have carried out a more thorough abdominal examination after Miss Christian complained of pain in her lower chest and back.
He said the peritonisis which killed Miss Christian may have been detected earlier had this been carried out, maximising her chances of undergoing an operation and surviving the condition.
Earlier this week, the court heard that Miss Christian, a fit and healthy mother of four sons, of Danewood Avenue, Manor, Sheffield, died on December 23, 2005, after visiting hospital twice and being told by an out-of-hours telephone nurse to take laxatives.
A post-mortem examination found she actually had a peptic ulcer which had burst allowing fluid from the small intestine to escape into her abdomen causing the peritonisis.
"One thing that is absent is a documented examination of the abdomen and I have a strong suspicion that if there had been an examination at that stage they probably would have found she had peritonisis," added Dr Jackson. "My experience is of most people who present at accident and emergency with peptic ulcers is that the vast majority of them will survive."
The hearing continues on Monday.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
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