Man Died In A&E After Waiting Almost 24 Hours For A Bed

Family Respond Toinquest Findings.

- Cathal McGuigan

A CASTLEDAWSON man died in A&E after waiting nearly 24 hours to be assigned to a ward, an inquest has heard.

Stephen Quinn (47) died in Antrim Area Hospital on September 26, 2012, more than 23 hours after he had first arrived in the emergency department.

At a hearing held at Magherafelt Courthouse on Thursday and Friday, Coroner Joe McCrisken heard that Mr Quinn arrived at the hospital's emergency department at around 7.26pm on September 25.

He complained that he was short of breath and that there was an increasing build-up of fluid in his abdomen, which was causing discomfort.

Mr Quinn suffered from chronic liver disease and staff noted that he had not taken daily diuretics prescribed to treat the condition for the past three days.

A&E doctor Dr Kirsty Hanna said that Mr Quinn was “stable and orientated” when he arrived at the hospital and that on examination his pulse and temperature were within normal levels. She noticed that he was jaundiced, but this was in keeping with liver disease.

She noted that the build-up of fluid was a condition known as ascites and it was a result of the failure to take diuretics.

The coroner queried why diagnostic paracentesis or a diagnostic 'tap' was not carried out at this stage. The procedure, which involves draining and analysing a sample of fluid, is performed to rule out the possibility of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), a bacterial infection of ascitic fluid that can be treated with antibiotics.

According to European Guidelines a diagnostic tap should be carried out on all patients with ascites when they are admitted to hospital to rule out SBP.

Dr Hanna said that this is not a procedure that would normally have been done in A&E and that she felt Mr Quinn was exhibiting no signs of infection. She referred Mr Quinn to the medical team for further treatment.