A woman whose 47-year old husband died of a heart attack after several visits to hospital complaining of pain and discomfort has settled on undisclosed terms her action over his care.
David McCormack died as a result of a rupture to an artery in his lower body, the High Court was heard.
His widow Mary McCormack, Loughanstown Knockdrin, Mullingar, Co Westmeath. settled her action against the HSE over his death on March 13th 2009. The terms of settlement are confidential.
Mr McCormack, a father of four and grandfather of two, previously had a heart attack and a quadruple heart bypass in 2000.
He went to his GP on February 25th, 2009 complaining of groin pain and was referred, and advised to go straight to, the emergency department of the Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar.
He went at 7am the next morning where a doctor indicated she could find nothing wrong with him.
Mr McCormack indicated he was no longer in pain and he was discharged at 11am.
That evening he returned to his GP as he was unwell and the GP wrote a request for an urgent CT scan at the hospital.
It was claimed the hospital refused to perform the CT scan because it had been requested by a GP, not a consultant, and that Mr McCormack went home and was later contacted and told to attend the emergency department on March 2nd.
Over a number of days, he had various tests in hospital, including x- rays, a CT scan and an angiogram.
He was also seen at Tullamore hospital on March 11th and it is claimed the family were advised nothing in particular was noted.
He was later discharged home on steroids with a view to a follow up in six weeks. It was claimed he was in pain at the time of his discharge on March 11th.
He was brought back to Tullamore hospital with severe pain the next day and later went into cardiac arrest and died. The cause of death was hypovolaemic shock secondary to a ruptured right common iliac artery aneurysm.
It was claimed there was a collective failure to get to the bottom of Mr McCormack’s ongoing difficulties and to keep him in hospital until that was done. It was also alleged there was a failure to properly diagnose and treat him and to diagnose the iliac artery aneurysm.
Des O’Neill SC, for Ms McCormack, said liability was admitted in the case.
Mr Justice Kevin Cross approved the settlement and offered his sympathies to Ms McCormack and their family on their loss.