Mr Myatt, who would have celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary with his wife Jean (85) in March this year, died at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital on 3 November 2017.
The doctors treating Mr Myatt asked for a nasogastric tube to be inserted to allow him to be given nutritional support and medication. His daughter, Lesley Foster, was with Mr Myatt immediately before a nurse inserted the tube into his nose.
Lesley recalls seeing the tube in her father’s nose and that Mr Myatt was bleeding from his nose and mouth after the tube was inserted. The bleeding lasted a few minutes before it subsided. Lesley then left the hospital but shortly after Mr Myatt’s condition deteriorated. He suffered another bleed and died, despite the intervention of doctors.
Lesley spoke to the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust to inform them of her concerns about the insertion of the tube and the treatment that was provided. HM Coroner for Birmingham and Solihull was informed of the family’s concerns and an investigation was carried out. The hospital also conducted its own internal investigation.
As part of the Coroner’s investigations a post mortem examination was carried out. The pathologist reported that in his opinion, Mr Myatt’s death was due to aspiration of blood resulting from insertion of the nasogastric tube.
At the Inquest the Coroner heard witness evidence from Lesley Foster, the pathologist who conducted the post mortem, the nurse who inserted the nasogastric tube, the treating consultants and the ward sister who prepared the internal investigation report on behalf of the Trust.
The inquest concluded with the coroner returning a narrative verdict that death was as a result of a complication of necessary medical treatment. The family is represented by Rebecca Sellers, a solicitor in Shoosmiths medical negligence team, who said:
‘The hospital released their internal investigation report on 2 February 2018 and with the inquest taking place on 16 February 2018 this gave very little time for the family to consider the information provided by the Coroner and prepare for the inquest. Nevertheless we were at least able to guide the family through the inquest process to help them to find out what happened and how Mr Myatt died. The possibility of pursuing a civil claim remains open to the family to try and establish what caused Mr Myatt’s death.’
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Allan Bisset, Shoosmiths
T : 03700 866736
E : [email protected]
Disclaimer
This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It is recommended that specific professional advice is sought before acting on any of the information given. © Shoosmiths LLP 2024
