The sooner a patient suffering from chest pains is brought to hospital, the greater the chances of survival from a heart attack, the High Court was told yesterday.
Dr Brian Maurer, a consultant cardiologist attached to St Vincent's Hospital and the Blackrock Clinic in Dublin, said that if a patient with a heart condition collapsed while in hospital the chances of survival were more than 90 per cent.
He was giving evidence on the second day of a hearing in which Mrs Margaret Eite, of Bolbrook Villas, Tallaght, is suing Dr Andrew Jordan, who conducts a medical practice at Heatherview Avenue, Aylesbury, Tallaght.
Mrs Eite alleges that the doctor negligently and in breach of contract failed to respond to a series of telephone calls made on behalf of her late husband, Mr Noel Eite (52), to his surgery on November 7th, 1988, the day Mr Eite died. Dr Jordan denies the claims.
In court yesterday Dr Maurer said the probability was that Mr Eite suffered an acute heart attack from which he died. In 1988, a medical practitioner would always have elected to transfer a patient with chest pains to hospital by the most rapid means available, whether by ordinary or cardiac ambulance, and would also have attempted to relieve patient stress by the administration of drugs.
Mrs Eite said she still had guilt resulting from her husband's death. She thought the doctor would arrive at any minute.
Cross-examined by Mr Bruce Antoniotti SC, for Dr Jordan, Mrs Eite said she was angry that the doctor did not call, even after her husband had died. Neither had the doctor shown any sympathy to her or said that he was sorry for what had occurred.
Mrs Eite said there was no reluctance by the family to call an ambulance on the day in question. She claimed that they were given no guidance on what to do by the surgery. They were given to understand that the girl there (the receptionist) was endeavouring to contact Dr Jordan.
She said that during the course of two telephone calls to the surgery the girl said she was endeavouring to get Dr Jordan on his pager. It was the doctor's wife who later indicated to them that Dr Jordan was not on a pager.
The hearing, before Mr Justice Morris, continues today.