Could Derby hospital have done more to save my wife?
THE husband of a Burton woman who died at the Royal Derby Hospital believes more could have been done to save his wife, an inquest has heard.
Sylvia Lindsay, 70, died at the hospital when her health deteriorated after surgery for a stomach condition. The mother-of-two, from Rolleston Road, Burton, had a history of renovascular disease, which affected her kidneys.
She was known to the renal unit and would receive dialysis at home on a daily basis. This would drain fluid in her stomach into a bag, the inquest was told.
The colour of the fluid would indicate her level of health. Any cloudiness would point to an infection and she would need medical attention, said her husband. A post mortem determined the cause of death to be pulmonary embolism – a blockage of an artery in the lungs.
It is believed this was caused by peritonitis, an infection in the inner lining of her stomach which can be life-threatening if left untreated.
At Derby and Derbyshire Coroners Court on Tuesday, assistant coroner Rachel Syed heard evidence from Mrs Lindsay’s husband, Roy, 75. He read a statement about his take on events, which he confirmed he still believed was correct.
He said the couple spent part of the time in Florida, but Mrs Lindsay was diagnosed with levels of calcium that were dangerously high, they returned to Burton in July 2014 for treatment.
“Her medication was making her ill, she was struggling and itching all over,” Mr Lindsay said.
He said his wife’s quality of life was getting worse and he was quite anxious about how long it was taking for her to have surgery to find the cause of the issue. She was later given a date for surgery of September 9.
Following the operation, Mr Lindsay went to the Royal Derby Hospital and was told his wife would return to her ward “in a short while”. He recalled waiting anxiously: “It wasn’t until later when I was told there was a problem and Sylvia had been moved to the intensive care unit.”
Mrs Lindsay was taken back to theatre and her husband was assured by doctors this was not an uncommon issue.
By September 11, he said Mrs Lindsay was recovering and seemed “perfectly alright”.
Three days later, Mr Lindsay visited his wife in hospital where she was sitting beside her bed. He noted she “did not seem herself” and was very subdued.
He left to have dinner but when he returned two hours later she was still in the same chair. She had a stomach ache, so he helped her get into bed, where she lay on her side “in a fetal position”, he recalled.
He said: “My son’s girlfriend is a nurse, and she asked the nurse why there was no record of bowel movements. We know these could have been recorded because it’s very important for patients on dialysis to open their bowels daily.
“The nurses didn’t know why there was no record and agreed there should have been. I was asked to show the nurse on the ward how to fill Sylvia’s peritoneal dialysis bags. The nurse didn’t even know what colour bag it was supposed to be. I went home, but I wasn’t happy with the state Sylvia was in.” Mr Lindsay returned the next morning after receiving a call that the doctor wanted to see him as soon as possible as his wife’s condition had deteriorated. He said: “Sylvia was on a side ward, when I saw her she was in a terrible state.
“She couldn’t breathe and was gasping for air. It was very distressing to see her like that.”
He called their two sons, who arrived around 3.30pm, when they were told she was suffering with septicaemia, a type of blood poisoning typically caused by bacteria.
The family went home but returned later that night and were allowed to stay with her until the early hours of September 16, when she died. Mr Lindsay said his main concerns were that more could have been done to identify the infection. The inquest will continue until today, with further evidence due to be heard from medical professionals.