Our health lawyers acted for the widow of a 55 year old man whose death from a cardiac arrest was argued to have been avoidable. The matter was settled favourably after mediation.
Our client’s husband suffered from almost all possible risk factors for vascular disease – male gender, family history, untreated hypertension, severely elevated and untreated cholesterol, obesity, a history of smoking and gout.
Immediately following a trans ischaemic attack (‘TIA’) at work one day, our client’s husband had a routine electrocardiogram (‘ECG’) which showed serious underlying structural heart disease – triple vessel coronary artery disease with left ventricular dysfunction. These factors were obvious indicators of the risk of sudden death.
Expert evidence obtained by our health law team was to the effect that urgent cardiac investigations should have occurred which then would have led to admission to hospital for urgent coronary angiography which in turn should have led to urgent coronary artery surgery.
Had these steps been taken, our client’s husband’s sudden death would have been avoided.
Instead, our client’s husband was left on an elective surgical waiting list from February 2019 until his death in October 2019.
The independent expert reviewing the case said that the hospital’s failure to appreciate the urgency of the case “fell alarmingly short of competent medical practice”.
Our client had spent almost 40 years with her husband and was found to meet the diagnostic criteria for complex grief/persistent bereavement disorder with underlying major depression. Psychiatrists for both sides were in agreement that our client’s psychiatric diagnoses were caused by her husband’s death.
The deceased worked as a manager for a large national hardware store and our client relied upon him both in respect of financial support and for the performance of domestic tasks in the home.
Our client was compensated for her psychiatric symptoms (pain and suffering), for the loss of income to the household and for past and future loss of domestic services.
Let us fight for you or your loved one
If you or a loved one suspect you have experienced medical negligence, or feel your concerns about healthcare are being dismissed or ignored by health professionals, please do not hesitate to talk to one of our caring, expert, health lawyers about the options available to you. To confidentially discuss your needs call us on 1800 874 949 or fill in the form below, and we will be in touch.
