‘Man’s fatal heart defect missed by hospital’
Fitness fanatic was ‘failed by system’
THE life of a much-loved young ‘fitness fanatic’ could have been saved if a fatal heart defect had been picked up when he was admitted to hospital after a stabbing, a coroner has ruled.
The “system had failed” Dean Gillespie, 24, from Stockport, after high blood pressure readings were not investigated and x-rays showing his enlarged heart were not followed up on, an inquest heard.
Bosses at Stepping Hill hospital have apologised for the “inadequate” care Dean received.
Dean died after collapsing suddenly at his home in Cheadle Heath in September 2014.
THE life of a muchloved young ‘fitness fanatic’ could have been saved if a fatal heart defect been picked up when he was admitted to hospital after a stabbing, a coroner has ruled.
The “system had failed” Dean Gillespie, 24, from Stockport, after high blood pressure readings were not investigated and x-rays showing his enlarged heart were not followed up on, an inquest heard.
Bosses at Stepping Hill hospital have apologised for the “inadequate” care Dean received.
However, his devastated parents say their fight for answers meant they have been unable to grieve for their son whose life was cut tragically short.
Dean died after collapsing suddenly at his home in Cheadle Heath in September 2014 after complaining of a ‘banging’ headache.
His family performed CPR before paramedics arrived and he was taken to hospital, but could not be saved.
A post-mortem examination found he died as a result of bleeding into the sacs of his heart after a “congenital abnormality” of his aorta called a coarctation - caused the major artery to narrow - and led to it rupturing.
He had previously been fit and healthy and went to the gym six times a week as well as playing football at weekends, his father Mark Gillespie, told his inquest.
Dean had spent several days in hospital in 2012 following a stabbing and the inquest was told the heart problem could potentially have been picked up by medics and treated then.
Dean, who worked as a scaffolder, was admitted to hospital on April 1, 2012 after suffering three stab wounds in an “altercation”.
Details of the incident, which had occurred
“between friends” were “sketchy” the coroner said.
Mr Gillespie said from the witness box he had never truly got to the bottom of what happened.
However, Dean spent five days in hospital undergoing surgery to repair holes in his bowel caused by the most serious wound. He also had two further, shorter stays, one later that month and one in May 2012 as a result of complications from surgery.
An inquest into his death held on Wednesday heard he was recorded as having high blood pressure during those admissions, with one expert describing it as “pathologically” high.
However, that was interpreted as likely being due to the pain he was in and was not investigated further.
Two chest x-rays, carried out on April 1 and April 4 2012 also showed he had an enlarged heart, the radiologist who examined them three weeks later found.
But for “reasons that are not clear” these findings were not shared with the consultant surgeon in charge of his care who only saw them this year, the inquest was told.
The surgeon, Dr Edwin Clarke, told the hearing if he had seen them he would have discussed them with the specialist and would likely have referred Dean to a cardiologist for further investigation.
A report from an independent heart specialist, Professor John Pepper, based at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, read at the hearing concluded if he had been referred his problem would have diagnosed and he could he have been treated with a stent and that Dean could have had a “good result.”
Dean went back to work two to three months after being hospitalised in 2012 and suffered no major issues after that time, Mr Gillespie said.
He collapsed shortly after returning from work in September 2014 after taking paracetamol and going to bed because of his headache.
South Manchester Coroner, Chris Morris, recorded a narrative conclusion that Dean died “as a consequence of a congenital heart abnormality which was not diagnosed during his lifetime” following the inquest at South Manchester Coroner’s court in Stockport.
He said that the “system in operation at the time failed Dean.”
“Had the consultant surgeon been made aware of the radiologists reports a discussion would have taken place which would likely have led to a referral to a cardiologist,” the coroner said.
“This, in turn, is likely to have led to the diagnosis of Mr Gillespie’s coarctation of the aorta which probably would have saved his life.”
He added there had been a “wholesale absence of professional curiosity” from the surgical team in relation to his high blood pressure readings and that “no efforts” were made to further investigate them.
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust has previously apologised to the family and reached a financial settlement.
In a statement released after the hearing the trust said: “We are deeply sorry that the standard of care provided to Dean Gillespie was inadequate, and we would like to take this opportunity to repeat our sincere apologies, sympathy and condolences to his family and loved ones in this case.
”While compensation has been agreed, we recognise that no amount of money can make up for the loss of a much-loved son.
“We hope that the inquest today will help answer some questions that his loved ones may have had about the circumstances leading to his untimely death.”
Mr Gillespie and Dean’s mother Sue, told the Stockport Express: “We have not been able to grieve.
“It is six years this September and all we have been doing since then is fighting.
“We do feel like we have been failed by the system.
“But (the coroner’s findings) don’t help really.
“It is us who have to pick up the pieces now.
“They could have done this and could have done that’ are words you just don’t want to hear really.
“It’s almost rubbing salt in the wounds.”