18 July 2003
St. Mary’s NHS Trust has admitted liability for the failure to diagnose a fatal heart problem. The man went to their A&E department on Boxing Day 2001 suffering from chest pain, pins and needles and loss of colour in his left hand. No pulse could be found in his left wrist.
Unfortunately the hospital’s vascular team was busy in theatre and so a decision was made to allow the man to go home. This was despite the fact that the two casualty doctors who dealt with him suspected that he may be suffering from a rupture in the lining of an important artery, a condition known as a dissection of the aorta. Sadly, the man died at home in the early hours of the following morning due to a rupture of the aorta.
The man’s widow and her family pursued a hospital complaint but she then instructed Leigh Day & Co solicitors to pursue the case through the clinical negligence pre-action protocol. St. Mary’s have admitted liability but the amount of damages is still to be decided.
The case is being handled by
Henry Dyson, a partner in the clinical negligence department at Leigh Day & Co. Henry said:
"I’m pleased that St. Mary’s have admitted liability as this spares the family from having to begin proceedings and the anguish that this would cause."
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Information was correct at time of publishing. See terms and conditions for further details.