Latest news with #heartSurgery
Telegraph
17 hours ago
- Health
- Telegraph
The hospital where routine heart operations became a death sentence
Dorothy Readhead was hoping an innovative heart operation to replace a faulty valve would give her a new lease of life – but it turned out to be fatal. The 87-year-old was suffering from breathlessness, but was not suitable for open-heart surgery. A new, less invasive procedure to replace the aortic valve – called a transcatheter aortic valve implant (TAVI) – promised her a return to gardening and helping out at her local church. But doctors at Castle Hill Hospital, near Hull, botched the procedure after trying to force the new valve through the wrong leg, causing a major artery tear and the loss of five litres of blood during a six-hour operation. Mrs Readhead died a week later, in the summer of 2020, with her family none the wiser about what had occurred. Now, it has been revealed that a catalogue of surgical errors, doctor in-fighting and omissions from death certificates has led police to investigate the deaths of 11 patients who had the same procedure at Castle Hill's cardiology department between 2019 and 2023. Documents seen by The Telegraph reveal how 'a rolling power struggle' between consultants charged with running the cardiac unit distracted from caring for patients, while hospital executives alleged that doctors' abuse of the whistleblowing system had been a 'weapon of mass destruction that has harmed patients'. All of the 11 patients were having a TAVI installed. It involves doctors replacing a damaged valve by accessing an artery, often in the upper leg, and feeding a new valve through a wire all the way to the heart, where it will sit inside the old valve and restore normal function. At Castle Hill, operated by the NHS Humber Health Care Partnership, the mortality rate for the procedure was three times higher than the national average, according to the BBC. Meanwhile, one of two independent reviews by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) into the deaths raised serious concerns about death certificates failing to acknowledge the surgeries as a contributing factor, leaving families in the dark, the broadcaster said. In the case of Mrs Readhead, she had blockages in her right leg caused by calcified arteries that made it unsuitable for access. Despite this, surgeons went in through the right leg by mistake. Then, after realising their error, they failed to change tack aind instead tried to plough through the blockage three times, eventually causing a major tear of the femoral artery. 'It feels like Mum was a guinea pig' By this point, Mrs Readhead had been on the operating table for six hours and had lost five litres of blood. She died a week later, with her death certificate failing to declare the operation as a cause. Instead, it cited 'hospital acquired pneumonia' and 'severe aortic stenosis' –- the condition the operation was supposed to treat. Christine Rymer, Mrs Readhead's daughter, only found out what her mother had endured after being approached by the BBC. She said: 'None of that was told to us. None of it. It just feels as if Mum was a guinea pig, which is not nice to think about.' Mrs Readhead's care was 'graded poor' by the RCP in its 2021 report because of the use of an 'inappropriate access site' during a procedure. It said this 'unfortunately resulted in an avoidable vascular complication'. An anaesthetist called in to help during the operation wrote in an email that the TAVI team's decisions had 'resulted in a disaster for this patient'. He said there was 'a change of plan without weighing the risks vs benefit for the patient, but having a 'have a go' approach'. Dr Thanjavur Bragadeesh, the then clinical director of the cardiac unit, called for a serious incident to be declared so there would be a full investigation into the case, which there later was. He was one of seven consultants who wrote a letter to Chris Long, the hospital's chief executive, and Dr Makani Purva, the medical director, saying they were 'very concerned about the safety and transparency of the TAVI service'. Dr Bragadeesh was later removed from his position as part of a restructuring of the unit's management, and would take the trust to an employment tribunal. He argued he had raised concerns around four deaths, but the tribunal ruled against him, saying 26 of 29 complaints had not been made within the required three-month time frame. Documents from the hearing reviewed by The Telegraph reveal an email written by Dr Simon Thackray, who was associate medical director at Hull Teaching Hospitals at the time, in which he said: 'A rolling power struggle between key individuals has dragged in much of the time and energy that normally individuals would put into service development.' He said: 'A huge amount of time has been spent investigating retaliatory complaints, dealing with rudeness and incivility, and trying to bring a sense of direction to teams pulling in opposing directions.' And he added that disclosures about colleagues' wrongdoings and errors were 'a weapon of mass destruction that have harmed patient care in my department to further personal grievances'. It also revealed that Dr Purva sought advice from the General Medical Council (GMC) about the behaviour of the doctors. 'In a further twist to the long-standing issues between 2 cardiologists, one of them has accused the other of taking away one of his patients and offering him a different treatment option which caused his death,' she wrote. In another case, Brian Hunter, a former fisherman from Grimsby, was diagnosed with a heart problem at 83 and offered a TAVI procedure. The RCP's second review found 'a lack of urgency' to treat him so by October 2021, when the operation took place, he was 'a high-risk case… with an increased risk of complication and little margin for error'. Medics failed to properly deploy the device, allowing blood to leak back into the hear, and he died on the operating table. 'We were led to believe that dad had a heart attack on the table and unfortunately passed away,' Tracy Fisher, Mr Hunter's daughter, told the BBC. 'To find out three years down the line that what your father actually passed from wasn't the truth is torturous. 'I feel angry as well, and so does the rest of the family, that [the hospital] just outrageously lied. At no point do any of us find it acceptable. It's just not.' The RCP also highlighted serious concerns about the failure to put the failed surgeries on death certificates. The death certificate of a 73-year-old man who had the valve implanted in the wrong position also failed to contain 'an accurate description' of what happened. An initial version that included 'failed TAVI' was amended to just state 'pneumonia'. In two other cases, women who died within six weeks of each other had crucial details missing from their death certificates, making them inaccurate, the RCP said. A spokesman for Humberside Police said: 'An investigation is in the very early stages in relation to deaths following TAVI surgery at Castle Hill Hospital. Inquiries are being carried out and at this time, we can confirm no arrests have been made.' Service 'has confidence of regulators' A spokesman for NHS Humber Health Partnership said: 'We would never discuss an individual patient case in the public domain, but we understand families may have questions and we are happy to answer those directly. 'We have previously written to families who have lost a loved one following TAVI treatment with an invitation to meet and discuss the specific circumstances of their case, and we would reiterate that offer.' They added that the service has the confidence of regulators and claimed that external reviews had 'shown that mortality rates associated with TAVI are similar to national mortality rates over a four-year period'. The spokesman said: 'The Royal College of Physicians was invited to review the service in 2021, at the request of the Trust's chief medical officer. The Royal College report concluded that the TAVI service is essential for the Humber and North Yorkshire region and needs to be expanded. 'It stated however that the design of the service should be reviewed and invested in. The report offered a number of actions for improvement and we have delivered against all of those since it was shared with us. 'A key improvement has been the dramatic reduction in the length of time patients wait to have their TAVI procedure, which was shown in the Royal College Report to have been too long, like many other TAVI services across England.'
The Guardian
19 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Police investigate heart surgery patient deaths at East Yorkshire hospital
Police have launched an investigation into the deaths of heart surgery patients at an East Yorkshire hospital. The investigation is focusing on transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedures carried out on elderly and frail patients at Castle Hill hospital, near Hull. There have been no arrests in connection with the investigation, which Humberside police said was in its 'very early stages'. A BBC investigation found concerns had been raised about the deaths of 11 patients after the procedure to replace a damaged valve in the heart. It is a surgery used in people with heart disease who are not well enough for major heart surgery, as the heart does not need to be stopped, unlike in bypass surgery. However it does still carry serious risk as it involves surgeons inserting an instrument with a balloon into a leg or chest artery, which is moved into position near the opening of the aortic valve. Space for new tissue is then created by inflating the balloon, which supports the heart valve. The Humber Health Care Partnership, which runs Castle Hill through Hull university teaching hospitals NHS trust (HUTH), told the BBC that three separate reviews conducted after concerns were raised found deaths after this type of surgery at the hospital were in line with the national average. It said families who had lost loved ones were invited to ask questions and that the trust was 'happy to answer those directly'. The spokesperson said: 'Three separate external reviews of our TAVI service have been undertaken and shown that mortality rates associated with TAVI are similar to national mortality rates over a four-year period. 'The Royal College of Physicians was invited to review the service in 2021, at the request of the trust's chief medical officer. 'The Royal College report concluded that the TAVI service is essential for the Humber and North Yorkshire region and needs to be expanded. 'It stated however that the design of the service should be reviewed and invested in. The report offered a number of actions for improvement and we have delivered against all of those since it was shared with us.' A Humberside police spokesperson said: 'An investigation is in the very early stages in relation to deaths following surgery at Castle Hill hospital. Inquiries are being carried out and at this time, we can confirm no arrests have been made.'
The Independent
a day ago
- Health
- The Independent
Police launch probe into 11 heart operation deaths at NHS hospital
Police have launched an investigation into the deaths of several patients who underwent heart operations at Castle Hill Hospital, an NHS facility near Hull. The inquiry follows a BBC report alleging that some patients suffered avoidable harm. The report also raises concerns that death certificates may have failed to disclose that surgery contributed to the deaths. Humberside Police confirmed to the PA news agency that the investigation is in its early stages. No arrests have been made. Documents seen by the BBC highlight concerns regarding the care of 11 patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation, a procedure known as Tavi. It usually takes between one and two hours and is performed on older patients. Tavi is used to replace damaged valves in the heart in people with aortic stenosis, which causes the aortic valve to narrow. It is less invasive than open heart surgery and involves guiding a new valve to the heart through a thin, flexible tube known as a catheter through a blood vessel in the groin or shoulder. Concerns about Castle Hill Hospital's Tavi mortality rate led to a number of reviews, none of which were made public, according to the BBC. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) was asked to assess the whole cardiology department in 2020, including two of the Tavi deaths. The report was completed in 2021 and led to a second review by consultants IQ4U. This recommended a third review of all 11 deaths, which was carried out by the RCP and completed last year, reports suggest. Some 10 deaths happened between October 2019 and March 2022 while one took place in May 2023. The final review highlighted poor clinical decision-making in one male patient, which included the incorrect positioning of the Tavi valve. His death certificate also failed to include an accurate description of what had happened, it was reported. There were also criticisms of death certificates issued to two other patients, claiming crucial details were missing. A spokesperson for NHS Humber Health Care Partnership said the hospital's Tavi service 'retains the confidence of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the regional Integrated Care Board (ICB), the Royal College of Physicians, and the trust'. They added that the three separate external reviews have 'shown that mortality rates associated with Tavi are similar to national mortality rates over a four-year period'. 'The Royal College report concluded that the Tavi service is essential for the Humber and North Yorkshire region and needs to be expanded,' they added. 'It stated however that the design of the service should be reviewed and invested in. The report offered a number of actions for improvement and we have delivered against all of those since it was shared with us. 'A key improvement has been the dramatic reduction in the length of time patients wait to have their Tavi procedure, which was shown in the Royal College report to have been too long, like many other T I services across England.' The spokesperson said: 'We would never discuss an individual patient case in the public domain but we understand families may have questions and we are happy to answer those directly. 'We have previously written to families who have lost a loved one following Tavi treatment with an invitation to meet and discuss the specific circumstances of their case, and we would reiterate that offer.'
The Independent
a day ago
- Health
- The Independent
Police launch investigation into NHS hospital heart op deaths
Police are investigating the deaths of patients who died following heart operations at an NHS hospital. A report by the BBC suggests patients at Castle Hill Hospital near Hull suffered avoidable harm, and alleges that in some cases, death certificates failed to disclose that the surgery contributed to deaths. Humberside Police confirmed to the PA news agency that an investigation into the deaths is in its very early stages and no arrests have been made. Documents seen by the BBC raise concerns about the care of 11 patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation, which is known as a Tavi procedure. It usually takes between one and two hours and is performed on older patients. Tavi is used to replace damaged valves in the heart in people with aortic stenosis, which causes the aortic valve to narrow. It is less invasive than open heart surgery and involves guiding a new valve to the heart through a thin, flexible tube known as a catheter through a blood vessel in the groin or shoulder. Concerns about Castle Hill Hospital's Tavi mortality rate led to a number of reviews, none of which were made public, according to the BBC. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) was asked to assess the whole cardiology department in 2020, including two of the Tavi deaths. The report was completed in 2021 and led to a second review by consultants IQ4U. This recommended a third review of all 11 deaths, which was carried out by the RCP and completed last year, reports suggest. Some 10 deaths happened between October 2019 and March 2022 while one took place in May 2023. The final review highlighted poor clinical decision-making in one male patient, which included the incorrect positioning of the Tavi valve. His death certificate also failed to include an accurate description of what had happened, it was reported. There were also criticisms of death certificates issued to two other patients, claiming crucial details were missing. A spokesperson for NHS Humber Health Care Partnership said the hospital's Tavi service 'retains the confidence of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the regional Integrated Care Board (ICB), the Royal College of Physicians, and the trust'. They added that the three separate external reviews have 'shown that mortality rates associated with Tavi are similar to national mortality rates over a four-year period'. 'The Royal College report concluded that the Tavi service is essential for the Humber and North Yorkshire region and needs to be expanded,' they added. 'It stated however that the design of the service should be reviewed and invested in. The report offered a number of actions for improvement and we have delivered against all of those since it was shared with us. 'A key improvement has been the dramatic reduction in the length of time patients wait to have their Tavi procedure, which was shown in the Royal College report to have been too long, like many other T I services across England.' The spokesperson said: 'We would never discuss an individual patient case in the public domain but we understand families may have questions and we are happy to answer those directly. 'We have previously written to families who have lost a loved one following Tavi treatment with an invitation to meet and discuss the specific circumstances of their case, and we would reiterate that offer.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Police launch investigation into NHS hospital heart op deaths
Police are investigating the deaths of patients who lost their lives following heart operations at an NHS hospital. A report by the BBC suggests patients at Castle Hill Hospital near Hull suffered avoidable harm, and alleges that in some cases, death certificates failed to disclose that the surgery contributed to deaths. Humberside Police confirmed to the PA news agency that an investigation into the deaths is in its very early stages and no arrests have been made. Documents seen by the BBC raise concerns about the care of 11 patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation, which is known as a TAVI procedure. It usually takes between one and two hours and is performed on older patients. TAVI is used to replace damaged valves in the heart in people with aortic stenosis, which causes the aortic valve to narrow. It is less invasive than open heart surgery and involves guiding a new valve to the heart through a thin, flexible tube known as a catheter through a blood vessel in the groin or shoulder. Concerns about Castle Hill Hospital's TAVI mortality rate led to a number of reviews, none of which were made public, according to the BBC. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) was asked to assess the whole cardiology department in 2020, including two of the TAVI deaths. The report was completed in 2021 and led to a second review by consultants IQ4U. This recommended a third review of all 11 deaths, which was carried out by the RCP and completed last year, reports suggest. Some 10 deaths happened between October 2019 and March 2022 while one took place in May 2023. The final review highlighted poor clinical decision-making in one male patient, which included the incorrect positioning of the TAVI valve. His death certificate also failed to include an accurate description of what had happened, it was reported. There were also criticisms of death certificates issued to two other patients, claiming crucial details were missing. A spokesperson for NHS Humber Health Care Partnership said the hospital's TAVI service 'retains the confidence of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the regional Integrated Care Board (ICB), the Royal College of Physicians, and the trust'. They added that the three separate external reviews have 'shown that mortality rates associated with TAVI are similar to national mortality rates over a four-year period'. 'The Royal College report concluded that the TAVI service is essential for the Humber and North Yorkshire region and needs to be expanded,' they added. 'It stated however that the design of the service should be reviewed and invested in. The report offered a number of actions for improvement and we have delivered against all of those since it was shared with us. 'A key improvement has been the dramatic reduction in the length of time patients wait to have their TAVI procedure, which was shown in the Royal College report to have been too long, like many other TAVI services across England.' The spokesperson said: 'We would never discuss an individual patient case in the public domain but we understand families may have questions and we are happy to answer those directly. 'We have previously written to families who have lost a loved one following TAVI treatment with an invitation to meet and discuss the specific circumstances of their case, and we would reiterate that offer.'
