'Bubbly' woman dies, 31, after doctors said headache was caused by illegal drugs
The devastated family of a young woman who died suddenly after complaining of a headache described her as "bright and beautiful".
Kirsty Hendry was just 31 when she died in April. An inquest has heard how her mother hit out at the care she received at Tameside General Hospital in Greater Manchester.
It was alleged that doctors had wrongly dismissed Kirsty's condition as being linked to cannabis use, illegal drug use and her mental health. A number of hospital trust policies weren't followed after her admission in April, the inquest at Stockport Coroner's Court was told.
Kirsty was a carer and had six siblings (MEN/UGC)Kirsty suffered a burst brain aneurysm and developed a subarachnoid haemorrhage, bleeding in areas surrounding the brain. The inquest heard that CT scan was wrongly interpreted by a radiologist as well as 'missed' evidence of a bleed on her brain, reports Manchester Evening News.
However, it was said that the outcome for her 'would not have changed'. Kirsty was described as 'desperately unwell' when she was taken to Tameside General on April 3 - she died on April 11 at Salford Royal Hospital, where she had been transferred to five days earlier.
Mum's heartbreak as 'best pal' daughter dies days after 'boozy birthday lunch'
The coroner also said the 'severity of her condition' did 'not appear to have been recognised' by an ambulance crew called to her home in Dukinfield, Tameside, earlier. By that time, she had entered a 'vasospasm period', where arteries narrow and restrict blood flow to the brain, which causes brain tissue to die.
The 31-year-old went to the doctor complaining of a severe headache, vomiting and earache (MEN/UGC)Giving evidence at the inquest Angela Hendry claimed after being admitted to Tameside, staff dismissed her daughter's condition as being down to cannabis use, mental health and illegal drugs. She said: "She just kept staring at us. It was like the lights were on but no one was at home.
"She did not know what she was doing. She could not communicate with anyone." Mrs Hendry added that she believed the nurses and doctors weren't receiving handovers and that 'nobody knew what they were doing' as Kirsty had spasms.
She went on to say: "Kirsty was active. She walked everywhere. She was so bubbly. She messaged me and said 'mum, my legs feel like jelly'.
"I told her to ring an ambulance. She wasn't making sense to me on the phone. She just did not seem like Kirsty. She was bright and beautiful."
Mrs Hendry claimed the ambulance service said Kirsty, who was a carer, did not warrant an ambulance and that a taxi was used to transport her to Tameside. But coroner Alison Mutch said the evidence showed Kirsty 'could hardly stand up without falling over' when she arrived at A&E.
She was sent for the CT scan, which showed the 'remains of a subarachnoid haemorrhage', but it was small as blood had been absorbed into her brain after the aneurysm burst, the inquest heard. Ms Mutch said: "It is accepted by them [the hospital] that the bleed was missed.
"If it had been identified, they would have contacted Salford Royal Hospital [a specialist hospital for neurology]. It would not have changed the outcome for her."
Dr Michael Hughes, a consultant radiologist, was working for a private company the hospital outsourced scans to out of hours. The inquest heard that he reported that the scan didn't show evidence of a bleed, when it did.
Giving evidence, he said it was a 'subtle finding' of a bleed on the brain and that he was 'disappointed' he did not put more 'significance' on what the scan showed. He added that it wasn't a case of 'rushing' or 'cutting corners', but accepted 'human error' after questioning from the coroner rather than the quality of the image.
'Disabled people are too often falling off the radar and it's costing lives'
He also said it was a 'difficult case' and 'quite subtle' but that information on the scan was 'underestimated by myself'. Ms Mutch said elsewhere it was 'clear' from the evidence that the 'family's journey through Tameside Hospital was very difficult' and said it caused them 'distress'.
She noted it was 'crystal clear' that cannabis use, mental health and illegal drugs were 'not factors in her presentation'. The hospital's 'misconception' made 'a very difficult situation even more difficult', the coroner said.
Courtney Lomax, a matron in urgent care at the hospital, admitted neurological observations weren't undertaken as they should have been in line with hospital policy. Kirsty, the inquest was told, had no physical, visible head injury. "I can only apologise that the family feel that they were not listened to," said Ms Lomax.
The inquest heard of delays in escalating Kirsty's condition to clinicians after a lumbar puncture and a delay in transferring her to Salford Royal. It should have been a critical care transfer in line with policy, but wasn't, the inquest heard.
The hospital trust, through its legal representative at the inquest, apologised and said an action plan arising from Kirsty's case had led to hospital policy changes. Ms Mutch, who said she found Kirsty's headaches started on March 28, recorded a short narrative conclusion based on Kirsty's clinical condition.
She said she write to NHS England to ask it to highlight the importance of recognising symptoms of burst aneurysms so patients can be sent for CT scans at a point where treatment can be given. The coroner added that Kirsty would not have known she had an aneurysm, and nobody else would have either.
Dr John McDonald, an intensive care unit consultant, said she had a 'very significant brain injury' and 'the outcome for Kirsty was poor'. The hospital tried to increase her blood pressure to allow more blood into her brain, but the inquest heard that failed and there were 'no surgical options to improve the situation or reverse the decline'.
Kirsty's family, who attended Stockport Coroner's Court wearing clothing emblazoned with pictures of her, said Salford Royal did everything they could for her. Salford neurosurgeon Dr Helen Raffalli-Ebezant agreed the earlier CT scan was 'effectively declared clear'.
Kirsty, she said, had a low level of consciousness and was not moving normally when she arrived at the hospital. A MRI scan went on to show areas of damage before her condition deteriorated and she passed away.
Kirsty, one of seven siblings, initially went to her doctor on March 30 complaining of a severe headache, vomiting, earache and nausea. She was prescribed antibiotics and told to go to hospital if the situation worsened.
Dr Raffalli-Ebezant said the aneurysm had likely burst before that point, but said it was a 'difficult case to diagnose at that stage of presentation'. Speaking after the inquest, Mrs Hendry said: "Kirsty was a beautiful fun girl who loved life and had the biggest heart.
"Kirsty loved her family and of course, her animal. She was an amazing daughter, granddaughter, sister, partner aunt and niece and adored life. Kirsty was well-loved in our community and has many, many friends who love and miss her."
Mrs Hendry claimed they were told at the hospital 'it could be her mental heath, or the fact she smoked cannabis or had taken some illegal drug'. She said: "It's not the case as we now know it was an aneurysm.
"No amount of reports or updated plans Tameside has for future will bring my girl back. The only thing their new plans will do is hopefully stop another family going through the loss and devastation we are going through since we lost our Kirsty."
A Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: ”We would like to offer our sincere condolences to Kirsty’s family for their tragic loss. Following Kirsty’s sad death, the Trust conducted an internal investigation and the findings and learning from this have been shared with Kirsty’s family.
“The Trust would welcome the opportunity to meet with Kirsty’s family if they feel ready.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
