Woman dies of deadly tuberculosis after doctors began treating TB too late
A jury has found an RAF sergeant nurse was exposed to tuberculosis while volunteering at a London hospital, with her illness going undetected and treatment being carried out "too late".
Carrianne Franks was diagnosed with pneumonia and Covid-19, and was only screened for TB, an aggressive form of the disease, before she died.
According to Nottinghamshire Live, the circumstances surrounding her death were heard at a jury inquest in Nottingham. A narrative conclusion was delivered by the jury on Friday (May 26).
They found the delay in diagnosis "probably more than minimally" contributed to her death from TB.
The jury forewoman said: "On the balance of probabilities, opportunities to make an earlier diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis were missed".
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Carrianne, 30, of Tuxford, worked as an RAF nurse, going on to do voluntary shifts at the NHS over a period of 26 months.
In November 2020, she undertook a stint at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, working in the acute assessment unit. It was during that time, a patient in the unit was confirmed to have TB and was moved into a side room.
Whilst Carrianne was not that patient’s main nurse, there was an overlap between her and the patient on two dates.
Carrianne did not recall, or receive, any documentation of a pulmonary tuberculosis case.
The jury forewoman said at the inquest: "It is uncertain whether Carrianne had any direct contact with Patient 1. However, it is likely that she would have come in contact on the ward.
"On the balance of probabilities, it is likely Carrianne contracted pulmonary tuberculosis whilst working at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital".
Her symptoms started on June 9, 2021, including a sore throat which developed into a cough that became progressively worse.
She was admitted to Lincoln County Hospital on July 14, 2021, where she remained for 28 days.
A&E doctors treated her for pneumonia and put her on a treatment plan for Covid-19, despite negative test results, said the jury forewoman.
"Immediately prior to transfer to ICU, a sputum sample was taken, however, this was not tested for TB," said the juror. "This was another missed opportunity".
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Later, a review by a respiratory consultant gave a diagnosis of Crytogenic Organising Pneumonia (COP), However, a handwritten notes suggested TB testing, which was not carried out.
By August 12, 2021, she was declared medically fit for discharge. But three days later she was admitted to Bassetlaw General Hospital, Worksop, and treated for a fungal infection.
A sputum sample was taken on August 26, 2021, which confirmed TB, but her condition had already started to rapidly decline.
The following day, Carrianne became unstable and went into cardiac arrest. She died of pulmonary tuberculosis, caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis.
The antibiotic treatment was administered too late to treat the overwhelming infection, said the jury in their findings.
"There were a number of missed opportunities throughout Carrianne's care, both at Lincoln and Bassetlaw, to take sputum samples for the wide-ranging microbacterium test, when Carrianne was well enough to do so," their findings read. "On the balance of probabilities, opportunities to make an earlier diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis were missed".
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