Mother died after getting wrong injection

The family of a woman who died as a result of being injected by mistake with potassium chloride while undergoing a minor surgical procedure are to receive €170,000 in settlement of their High Court proceedings.

It was claimed in the action that, instead of mixing antibiotics with distilled water, they were inadvertently mixed with a lethal dose of potassium chloride which was then administered to Ms Veronica Connolly.

Ms Mary Gannon and Mr Dermot Connolly took proceedings claiming damages for nervous shock and distress arising from the death of their mother, Mrs Connolly (69), of Whitestrand Road, Galway, on October 14th, 1998 at University College Hospital, Galway.

The proceedings were brought by the plaintiffs on behalf of all their mother's dependants. They were brought against Dr Denis Quill, a consultant surgeon; Mr Mark Grannell, Surgical Senior House Officer at the hospital and the Western Health Board.

On the application yesterday of Dr John O'Mahony SC, for the plaintiffs, Mr Justice McKechnie ruled a settlement of €170,000 plus costs against Mr Grannell only.

Dr O'Mahony said he was seeking no orders against the other defendants.

In the action, it was claimed Mrs Connolly, a widow, was admitted to the hospital for an incarcerated rolling para-oesophagal hernia and was otherwise in excellent health.

After surgery, it was claimed Ms Connolly was injected with a lethal concentrated dose of potassium chloride as a result of which she died. It was alleged the potassium chloride was mixed as the dilutent with antibiotics instead of distilled water and was administered by Mr Grannell.

It was pleaded that phials of potassium chloride were not stored safely and securely as befitted the dangerous nature of the substance and were located on or in the surgical trolley.

The defendants denied the claims. In his defence, Dr Quill denied any involvement in the administering of potassium chloride to Mrs Connolly and pleaded that any injuries caused to Mrs Connolly were due to the negligence of the other defendants.

In his defence, while denying the claims, Mr Grannell also pleaded that the Western Health Board was negligent in failing to properly label and/or distinguish and/or secure or position the potassium chloride.

Ms Gannon was six months pregnant at the time of her mother's death and had to travel from her then home in England to the hospital in Galway.

Mr Connolly, who now lives in Canada, claimed he was summoned to the hospital when his mother died and was not told initially she was dead but that complications had arisen. He said he was "utterly shocked" when he was told of the death and claimed that no explanation was given.

Both claimed it took time to ascertain the cause of death and that there was virtually no communication with the hospital until after the inquest in March 1999. The inquest concluded she died as a result of a potassium overdose due to accidental injection of potassium chloride.

At the inquest the jury recommended that potassium chloride be treated in future as a controlled drug and that the hospital improve its safety features.