Case Studies | Armstrong Foulkes

Premature death of County Durham lung cancer patient June 1, 2018 Posted in: Case studies - Mrs N was aged 69 when she developed pain in her right shoulder blade. Her GP arranged for her to have a chest x-ray at a local hospital in April 2013 and this was reported as normal. Mrs N’s back pain continued. By the end of 2013 she was suffering some breathing difficulties which were Continue Reading
Failure to monitor fetal heart beat leads to stillbirth March 8, 2018 Posted in: Case studies - Mrs P was 38 weeks pregnant with her second child, a daughter, when she became concerned that she that she had not felt the baby move. She was referred to hospital by her community midwife and a Consultant Obstetrician admitted her to hospital for the her labour to be induced. This decision was reversed later Continue Reading
Surgery abandoned due to a lack of beds October 9, 2017 Posted in: Case studies - Due to abdominal pain Mr M was scheduled to have his gall bladder removed at the James Cook University Hospital in early 2015. It was intended that this procedure would be “keyhole” surgery with the option to convert to open surgery should this become necessary. If the “keyhole” surgery was successful then Mr M would Continue Reading
Pressure sores whilst in intensive care August 4, 2017 Posted in: Case studies - Mrs J was admitted to hospital in October 2012 with sepsis and multi organ failure and she was not expected to survive. She required admission to the intensive care unit where she remained for 2 months, for much of which she was in a coma. Fortunately, she pulled through but when she regained consciousness, she Continue Reading
Wrongful removal of a testicle June 1, 2017 Posted in: Case studies - Kevin was in his mid fifties, single, and had a small benign cyst on his left testicle. He had put up with it for a number of years. Eventually he was advised that he should have it (the cyst!) removed. Tests had confirmed that there was no cancer. He received assurances that this was all Continue Reading
Delays during labour lead to hysterectomy for first time mum April 3, 2017 Posted in: Case studies - Miss G, aged 22, was admitted to hospital to give birth to her first baby. Her labour was slow and she was given a drug called Syntocinon to try and progress the labour but this failed. Despite being fully dilated the baby’s head had not descended. The delivery team discussed using forceps but it was Continue Reading
Failure to consider x-ray leads to unnecessary death February 1, 2017 Posted in: Case studies - Shirley Wise was admitted to hospital in the early hours of a Tuesday morning with diarrhoea and vomiting. Her treating doctors thought she was suffering from gastroenteritis but requested that an abdominal x-ray be performed to rule out anything more sinister. The x-ray was performed at around 9:30 that morning but no doctor looked at Continue Reading
Delay in Diagnosing Stomach Cancer January 11, 2017 Posted in: Case studies - Catherine was 53 when she died of stomach cancer. 2 years earlier her GP had referred her to hospital after she went to see him complaining of a feeling of fullness in her tummy. She had an endoscopy, and biopsy, and was told all was clear and that she probably just had an ulcer. This Continue Reading
The Misery of Pressure Sores October 4, 2016 Posted in: Case studies - In 2014 Mr G suffered a serious stroke, leaving him effectively paralysed down his right hand side. He was initially treated on a specialist stroke ward before being discharged to a nursing home but a few weeks after his discharge Mr G developed an infection and required readmission to hospital. On this occasion he was Continue Reading
Injury through failure to be seen by a Consultant August 1, 2016 Posted in: Case studies - Mrs B was referred to hospital by her GP for possible removal of a gallstone. In his referral letter, her GP made it clear she had previously undergone major gynaecological surgery including a hysterectomy and surgery to remove her fallopian tubes and ovaries. At hospital, Mrs B was seen by a junior doctor who listed Continue Reading