HSE apologises over delay in acting on X-ray showing man aged 91 had swallowed dentures
At the High Court sitting in Cork, Ms Justice Carmel Stewart approved a €55,000 award on Wednesday to the family of Daniel O'Leary, late of Knockbrack in Banteer, Co Cork.
The court heard how on July 26th, 2022, Mr O'Leary, a resident at Kanturk Community Hospital, Co Cork, started coughing while sitting in a chair.
He was uncomfortable and complained about something stuck in his throat.
READ MORE
He was holding his hands to his throat and his partial bottom denture of two teeth was missing.
Staff went to his aid and he was transferred to University Hospital Limerick. Paramedics told doctors he had possibly inhaled a denture consisting of two lower teeth.
He was examined in the emergency department, and X-rays showed no evidence of the dentures or any foreign body. Mr O'Leary was admitted to hospital.
He was further assessed the following day and again a doctor found no evidence that his upper airway was obstructed.
A diagnosis of respiratory sepsis was made on a background of likely aspiration due to impaired swallow. Mr O'Leary was given fluids and antibiotics intravenously. He also received oxygen therapy.
He was assessed two days later when he appeared to be improving. He remained in hospital over the bank holiday weekend, with his care being taken over by a consultant physician and geriatrician on August 2nd.
Ms Justice Stewart was told a chest X-ray carried out on his arrival at the hospital on July 26th was only reported on July 30th. It showed 'densities in the upper neck, likely reflecting a foreign body'.
The court was told there was no evidence the X-ray report had been seen or acted on by medics in the hospital until the consultant geriatrician came on duty on August 2nd.
A CT scan carried out on August 3rd did not detect any foreign body in Mr O'Leary's neck or chest. However, later that day nursing staff carried out a suctioning procedure on the patient and detected dentures in the lowest part of his throat.
The ENT team removed the dentures on August 4th, 2022, nine days after he was taken to hospital.
Mr O'Leary continued to deteriorate physically and his care became palliative. He was brought back to Kanturk Community Hospital where he died peacefully on August 12th, 2022.
Eamon Shanahan, for his family, said they received an apology from the HSE.
In the apology the health service acknowledged the delay in the review of the relevant X-ray and said it has 'learned from the incident' and implemented a recommendation identified by the coroner at the inquest concerning Mr O'Leary's death.
'We wish to apologise for the failings in the care provided and for the distress and upset that this has caused,' it said.
In effect there was a week between the X-ray, which showed a potential blockage, and when it was acted upon.
Ms Justice Stewart extended her condolences to Mr O'Leary's family.
'Your father had a long and fruitful life,' she said. 'There is never a good time to lose a loved one, or to endure the trauma he endured. It doesn't bear thinking about. Hopefully you can put this behind you and reflect on the good times.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
5 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Two more reviews completed on Portiuncula maternity unit
In response to a parliamentary question from TD Claire Kerrane, Health Minister stated that the hospital and the safety of maternity patients are of 'critical importance'. While the response acknowledged the completion of two additional reviews and the increased number of recommendations, it merely stated that implementation would proceed 'over the coming months'. To date, Deputy Kerrane has received no further updates from the HSE or Health Minister. The direction for the hospital's future, according to the ministerial response, will require an 'extensive evidence base, of which an extensive review of the implementation of the current National Maternity Strategy will form part'. Deputy Kerrane expressed concern about the ongoing lack of clarity around future plans for PUH, particularly regarding efforts 'to ensure a full return of maternity services'. 'This roadmap is essential to ensuring the current reduction in services is not seen as a permanent solution and the hospital can continue to serve our community. This prolonged uncertainty is completely unacceptable, especially for pregnant women, who, as long as this situation continues, will have to travel further to have their babies.' The Irish Independent reported recently on the Galway County councillors call to the HSE and the health minister requesting a 'fully independent, external review' of the hospital. The councillors urged a broader evaluation of the hospital, placing it within a 'contextual service' framework alongside other maternity services nationwide. Initial recommendations in the first five reviews suggested diverting high-risk pregnancies to other hospitals, such as University Hospital Galway (UHG). This has raised concerns among local residents and councillors, as PUH serves communities across counties Tipperary, Offaly, and Clare. Questions have since been raised about the infrastructure and readiness of the hospitals expected to take on these patients, along with safety risks for women facing emergencies during labour. Deputy Kerrane is calling on the HSE to use the meeting to present a clear 'roadmap' and offer 'much needed assurances' that the diversion of high-risk pregnancies is only a temporary measure. Additionally, a petition to preserve and enhance existing maternity services at PUH has already gathered over 3,000 signatures. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Irish Times
14 hours ago
- Irish Times
Ireland has potential to become global leader in femtech, report says
Ireland could become a global leader in technology, research and innovation focused on women's health, if the right supports are put in the place, a new report has said. The new report, Femtech in Ireland: The Case for Prioritising Women's Health Research and Innovation, is calling on the Government to prioritise the development of femtech in Ireland, by offering greater supports for femtech research and start-ups, and integrate femtech into national health innovation strategies. Ireland has a strong background in medtech, digital health and pharmaceuticals, but femtech is underdeveloped and underfunded, despite women making up half the population. The report is seeking focused funding calls for women's health research and innovation through State agencies, specific funding to commercialise that research, and the establishment of a femtech lab in a healthcare setting with a fast access to clinicliniciansients, data and a test-bed. READ MORE It s also encouraging researchers, clinicians and academics to investigate conditions that affect women only, differently and disproportionately, highlighting the need for the inclusion of sex and gender analysis in research design. The report, which was produced by Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI), and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at University College Cork (UCC), says improving support for women's health innovation and entrepreneurship could not only address health inequities, but also offer additional economic potential for Ireland, while also strengthening Ireland's life sciences and technology sectors. 'We need to invest in women's health – not just for equality, but because it's smart research, healthcare, and smart economics. There is a real buzz in the femtech innovation sector in Ireland today, with new ideas and start-ups being developed throughout the country,', said Dr Tanya Mulcahy, Director of HIHI and founder of FemTech Ireland. 'We've supported many of them through HIHI, enabling access to clinicians, patients and researchers. It's a sector that is attracting female founders, and provides a new avenue for young researchers, but it's a sector that needs more support- this report is our call to action.' The femtech sector itself is expected to be worth more than $97 billion by 2030, while closing the women's health gap could give the global economy a $1 trillion boost each year by 2040. It could also help unlock new medical treatments and interventions for the wider population. The sector could also encourage more woman founders into the start-up sector, with more than 75 per cent of femtech companies having a woman founder. Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said the report was an important step toward better care for women across Ireland. 'It supports the work we're already doing through the Women's Health Taskforce and highlights how innovation can help us go even further.' The report was also welcomed by Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke. Ireland's first programme to support innovation in women's health, Femtech@HIHI, was launched two years ago. It has now supported more than 30 Irish start-ups that developing everything from wearable tech to track menopause symptoms, to smarter devices for pelvic health and fertility, all aimed at supporting women's health. 'We are witnessing extraordinary advances in healthcare technology and innovation,' said Professor John R Higgins, principal investigator of Health Innovation Hub Ireland and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University College Cork and Cork University Maternity Hospital. 'In women's health however, a long-standing gap in research has meant that these innovations have not always translated into meaningful solutions. This gap in evidence directly impacts the development of technologies. Now is the time to bridge that divide – with focused funding, targeted research, and innovation supports.'
Irish Times
16 hours ago
- Irish Times
‘Natural population' falls in 15 areas, from Belmullet to Dún Laoghaire
There was a fivefold increase in the number of local electoral areas (LEAs) across Ireland in which more deaths than births were recorded in 2022, new figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show. The majority of the 15 areas in question are rural towns in the west and south of the country, although the list also includes parts of Dublin typically seen to be more affluent than average, such as Rathfarnham-Templeogue and Dún Laoghaire in south Dublin. The figures are contained in a new release from the CSO. The data covers the country's 166 LEAs and shows the largest natural population decline, a measure that excludes inward or outward migration, occurred in Belmullet, Co Mayo with a rate of -2.9. READ MORE The figure is calculated by combining an area's death rate per thousand of population with its birth rate. In Belmullet's case, the -2.9 figure was calculated from of a birth rate of 8.6 and a death rate of 11.5. Other towns with a notably high natural decrease rate were Glenties, Co Donegal (-2.3) and Kenmare, Co Kerry (-1.2). In these areas, an ageing population means death rates are consistently higher than birth rates with Belmullet and Glenties experiencing a decrease for two consecutive years, the CSO records show. The other local areas that experienced a natural decrease in population were Swinford, Co Mayo; Kilrush, Co Clare; Ballinamore, Co Leitrim; Rosslare, Co Wexford; Tralee, Co Kerry; Boyle, Co Roscommon; Ballymote-Tobercurry, Co Sligo; Artane-Whitehall, Dublin; Bantry-West, Co Cork; and Castleisland, Co Kerry. The highest rates of natural increase in population were all in Dublin: Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart and Ongar, both in the Fingal constituency of Dublin, and both with a rate of 9.7, as well as Tallaght South, South Dublin where the rate was 9.6. Nationwide, the CSO statistics show the rate of natural increase of population in 2022 stood at 3.5, with 54,483 births recorded and 35,804 deaths in total. The CSO noted this rate 'varied significantly across LEAs', but that particularly high numbers of births and deaths were seen in urban areas in north Dublin. The CSO data also showed the national birth rate stood at 10.2, with Tallaght South boasting the highest birth rate in the country at 13.7 live births per 1,000 people. Enniscorthy, Co Wexford and Ongar, Fingal in Dublin were the other LEAs with the highest birth rates, at 13.3 and 13.2 respectively. Seán O'Connor, a statistician with the CSO, said the newly released data 'includes population statistics that are entirely based on administrative records, and as this release uses experimental methodology, [the] estimates are not official population statistics and are not comparable with Census of Population data'. The census conducted in 2022 showed the population of the Republic of Ireland was 5,149,000, a 31 per cent increase from 2002. In May the CSO released findings on the number of births and deaths recorded in Ireland during 2024 which showed the national fertility rate to be 1.5, a decrease of 0.4 from 2014. 'A value of 2.1 is generally considered to be the level at which the population would replace itself in the long run, ignoring migration,' the CSO said. The CSO findings also showed that the rates of deaths related to tumours and cancers were highest in Tralee, Co Kerry, Swinford, Co Mayo and Roscrea-Templemore, Co Tipperary. Deaths caused by respiratory diseases such as influenza, pneumonia and bronchitis were most common in Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim, Ballinasloe, Co Galway and Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.
