This article is from page 14 of the 2006-07-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
A VERDICT of medical misadventure has been returned in the inquest of a 54-year-old woman, who died at Ennis General Hospital, after attempts were made to insert a central vein line into her neck.
Ennis Coroner’s Court heard that Barbara Canavan, a retired nurse, of Church Street, Ennistymon, was admitted to hospital on June 29, 2004, having had abdominal pain associated with vomiting. She died there on the morning of July 2.
Some time after admission, she was operated on and her condition was reviewed a number of times.
Consultant Surgeon, Dr Denis Ó Ceallaigh, said she was “confused, disorientated and agitated.”
Some time before 9am on July 2, arrangements were made to have the central line inserted, so that medication could be given.
He said the insertion of the line was unsuccessful and she was confirmed dead at 11.15am.
He said “deterioration in her condition really occurred at 10pm the previous day.”
Consultant Anaesthetist, Dr William O’Brien – who, like Dr Ó Ceallaigh was not involved in inserting the central line – told the inquest that from his “contemporaneous records, the patient was expected to die.”
“When I saw the patient initially in ICU, despite her failure to respond to standard treatments administered for these situations, I knew she was a young woman. I took a slight chance that the patient might survive,” he said.
“A chance is worth a chance, in preference to being dead, even though she might die in the effort. Without intervention the outlook was fatal. The patient never stabilised satisfactorily post-operation. Her blood pressure was always temperamental. Her pulse rate was always racing,” he added.
The deceased’s sister Mary Healy, was at the Intensive Care Unit on the morning in question. She stated, in her deposition, “In my opinion I feel Barbara arrested while they were trying to insert the central line.”
Pathologist, Dr James O’Driscoll, said Ms Canavan’s death was due to cardiac failure, associated with an extensive haemorrhage to the right side of the neck.
“I believe the haemorrhage to the right side of the neck was the final event in this woman’s illness,” he said, adding that he believed that damage to the vein in the neck caused the haemorrhage.
“I would conclude they [the injuries] came in a critically ill woman, during an attempt to insert a central line,” he added.
County Coroner Isobel O’Dea and Inspector Tom Kennedy expressed sympathies to Ms Canavan’s family.