A man who passed away from sudden cardiac death on the same day as his daughter’s birth could have been saved if a heart defect had not been missed by a hospital doctor, according to a coroner’s analysis. The inquest held at Stockport Coroner’s Court heard that Thomas Gibson died after a hospital doctor inaccurately read a medical scan 11 days prior to his death, with the doctor not appreciating that the ECG showed symptoms of complete heart block. The coroner concluded that if the medics at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester had given him a pacemaker, he would still be alive today.
On the day Thomas Gibson was due to become a father, his partner Rebecca Moss attempted to rouse him as she was preparing to go to the hospital for an elective Caesarean. However, when she found him unresponsive, she tried to provide emergency first aid until an ambulance arrived. Despite her best efforts, he was declared dead, and Rebecca gave birth to their daughter, Harper, on the same day. The coroner expressed his sympathies, stating that he could not begin to fathom what that must have been like for her under the circumstances.
In his analysis, the coroner posited that a series of investigations would probably have been undertaken, which may have led to an implantable device like a pacemaker being fitted if medics at the hospital had appreciated that Mr Gibson’s ECG showed him to be experiencing complete heart block. Mr Gibson was described as physically fit and worked in a timber yard, but he had been experiencing a three-week stomach bug, including cramps and diarrhoea, before his death. He had gone to the A&E at Wythenshawe Hospital on May 27, where he was seen by Dr Oliver Handley, who referred him to Dr Thomas Bull, the medical registrar, for a second opinion.
Thomas Bull recommended that Mr Gibson be discharged as he did not present any additional heart-related symptoms, and the ECG scan showed a minor abnormality. Nevertheless, subsequent investigation concluded that the ECG had indicated a complete heart block, a severe condition, given the time between the scan and his death. The coroner stated that a report on the prevention of future deaths would be issued, addressing NHS clinical practices surrounding ECG scans’ interpretation with recommendations made to the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and the National Institute of Clinical Excellence.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust issued an apology, stating that they would be reviewing the coroner’s final analysis and extending their condolences to Mr Gibson’s family. Rebecca Moss suggested that the experts who could have saved Tom’s life were only one call away and hoped that inquests would lead to gains that would spare people from avoidable deaths like hers
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