Man suffers stroke after unnecessary surgery
A man has received £235,000 after unnecessary surgery led to him suffering a stroke.
Mr Hughes was an exceptionally fit eighty-five year old man, who was entirely independent and enjoying a good quality of life when the surgery was performed in September 2006.
He had suffered two transient ischaemic attacks (TIA’s) in 2004 which resulted in some speech disturbance, confusion and weakness in one leg. Investigations showed a blood clotting problem (for which he was given the blood-thinning drug, Warfarin), and a stenosis of the left carotid artery, for which he was admitted for surgery in the early part of 2005. However, surgery was postponed until September 2006, and whilst waiting to be recalled for surgery he regained those functions which had become impaired by the TIA’s, and he remained independent in day to day life.
Mr Hughes was admitted to hospital on 10 September 2006 for surgery, following a pre-admission meeting two days earlier when a detailed history was taken and all his medication was discussed carefully with particular attention to his anticoagulant medication. Surgery went ahead and he was discharged on the afternoon of 17 September when he returned home.
However, shortly after returning home Mr Hughes suffered a stroke which has left him permanently disabled. His cognitive functioning is very much reduced, and he is often confused. He requires twenty-four hour care as he can become disturbed at night. It was felt by experts caring for him that he would not be safe at home even with maximum input from carers and it was necessary for family to arrange private nursing care.
After the claim was begun, the hospital admitted that, by September 2006, Mr Hughes was no longer at a high risk of suffering a stroke from his condition and that it did not appear the procedure had been explained to him in these terms. Further it was admitted that there was a failure to restart Warfarin after the operation and that, had this been given appropriately, the risk of stroke would have been reduced by at least half. The claim was finally settled in April 2008.