PATIENT’S COLLAPSE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 705, 3 July 1929, Page 10

PATIENT’S COLLAPSE

DEATH AFTER OPERATION CORONER’S COMMENT (From Our Own Correspondent J HAMILTON, Today. After the hearing of a considerable amount of evidence yesterday at the inquest held by Mr. F. W. Platts, S.M., j concerning the death of Thomas "Wil- ! liam Atkinson, aged 19, who died on Juno 22 under anaesthetic at "Waikato Hospital, an adjournment was made until today, when a verdict in accordance with medical evidence was returned. That there was nothing in deceaseds condition at the operation to cause anxiety was the opinion of Dr. W. A. Blomfield, of Auckland. Witness , operated for a nasal obstruction and, when he first saw the young man, the anaesthetic had been administered. Atkinson had been operated on before and said on June 18 that he was to have returned for a completion of the operation, but had not done so. After the operation was over—Atkinson had been in the theatre about an hour — he was taken to a ward. Witness ha.d not examined Atkinson to decide his fitness to undergo an operation, but he had appeared to be healthy. Dr. Blomfield stated that he was not in a position to say what was the cause of death. HAD BEEN EXAMINED Dr. L. F. Mulcock, of the hospital staff, who administered the anaesthetic, said that Dr. Mackereth had examined Atkinson and would have told witness if he had not been in a fit state. After the operation, Atkinson showed no sign of collapse. An hour and a-half after the operation, Dr. H. C. Barrett was called and began artificial respiration. Deceased seemed to have collapsed suddenly, and witness did not think any doctor had seen the patient after he had left the theatre up to the time of witness’s call. Two nurses were called, one saying that Atkinson had been examined every five or ten minutes after the operation, although no doctor had paid a visit. The nurse, Edith Henderson, said that she had worried about the operation, as it was the first of the kind she had had. The coroner, Mr. F. W. Platts, S.M., said he would want a third nurse called. When the inquest resumed today Nurse Freda Myra Hienemann said she had five recovery patients to look after, including Atkinson. Each was partly screened off. Five, however, could be kept under observation at one time. None was under an anaesthetic when she commenced duty. She saw Atkinson as soon as he was brought in. One of her duties was to watch the patient for signs of anything unusual. She could not remain with him the whole time, as she had other duties to perform. She visited him at intervals of about five minutes. Senior-Sergeant Sweeney: Did you notice anything unusual about this patient?—Only that he was breathing through his mouth. In delivering his verdict the coroner reviewed the evidence and said the usual steps 'to promote artificial respiration were promptly taken when the patient’s colla. sed condition was noticed by Sister Sinclair. Although it was not suggested anything more could have been done if the patient had had a nurse present when the collapse began, it was unfortunate that both were out of the ward at that time. That was a contingency that should be guarded against. Indeed, added the coroner, this experience and the knowledge acquired after the event indicates that in similar cases a nurse should be detailed for exclusive attention upon a patient while he, was under an anaesthetic, a course now followed in the hospital only where the surgeon or superintendent so directs. His Worship went on to say that this appeared to be one of those cases of death under an anaesthetic which was difficult to explain with certainty. Medical testimony was that death was attributable to deceased’s susceptibility to the action of the anaesthetic, under the shock of operation caused by a greatly enlarged thymus gland, and that this condition could not be discovered by external examination. A verdict in accordance with the medical evidence was returned.