Settlement for cardiac death at scandal-hit hospital
Emma Kendall and Libby Ferrier settled a medical negligence claim on behalf of a widow whose husband died unexpectedly during cardiac surgery at St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Paul* had a complex medical history. In his thirties, he underwent successful chemotherapy for testicular cancer, during which a heart murmur and a poorly functioning valve were discovered. Five years later, he had his aortic valve replaced with a Starr Edwards valve. This surgery went well, and he remained stable for years with routine check-ups.
Paul began experiencing breathlessness in his sixties and he was told he would eventually need a mitral valve replacement. His mobility declined significantly over the next few years and doctors advised surgery to prevent further deterioration.
Paul was deemed fit for cardiac surgery and admitted to St George's Hospital in Tooting in 2014 for elective redo aortic valve replacement, mitral valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting. Sadly, Paul died during the operation.
His wife Ella* and their son attended the hospital immediately afterwards and were extremely upset by the lack of communication from staff. The operating surgeon did not meet with them to discuss the outcome and they were not offered a detailed explanation as to what had happened during surgery.
In April 2019, Ella was contacted by St George's Hospital and advised they were undertaking a review of cardiac care at the Trust as there had been an above average number of deaths in the department, including when Paul was treated.
Ella was shocked to learn the following year following completion of the review that the panel team had identified issues with Paul's care including for the following reasons:
- Protection of the heart during the procedure may not have been adequate.
- There was no operation note and a lack of documentation generally which was very poor for such a long procedure and one where the patient died during surgery.
Paul died of (1a) acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and (1b) valvular and ischaemic heart disease. He was not admitted with ARDS and the condition arose during surgery. In the absence of an operation note, the Trust's investigation relied on a diary entry/email from Paul's operating surgeon.
Ella instructed Fieldfisher in a medical negligence claim against the Trust after learning of the mistakes involved in her husband's death.
An early Letter of Notification was sent to the Defendant and the Trust responded inviting early resolution of the claim. Quantum investigations were undertaken and a settlement was secured on Ella's behalf .
The external review into patients who had died following cardiac surgery service at St George's Hospital between 2013 and 2018 found that issues identified in care had contributed to the deaths of 67 patients.
* names changed
Contact us
For further information about surgery negligence claims or medical negligence claims, please call Emma Kendall on 0330 460 6755 or email emma.kendall@fieldfisher.com or call Libby Ferrier on 0330 460 7178 or email libby.ferrier@fieldfisher.com.
Alternatively
- You can speak to our medical negligence solicitors on freephone 0800 358 3848
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