A Sligo woman who was suffering from pneumonia died at a Galway hospital as a result of a failed minor medical procedure which punctured her lung, an inquest in Galway heard yesterday.
Ms Marie Kelly (35), of Garavogue Villas, Sligo, had been admitted to Sligo General Hospital in October suffering from chest pain. She had a temperature of 103 and was diagnosed as suffering from pneumonia.
Three weeks later, she was transferred to Merlin Park Hospital in Galway for a bronchoscopy procedure. The inquest was told that infection, or pus, had built up between her lung and chest wall. Two house doctors at Merlin Park Hospital attempted a needle aspiration of the infection but Ms Kelly became pale and dizzy and started to cough up blood. She then lapsed into a coma and never regained consciousness. She died on December 3rd, having spent three weeks on a respirator.
Mr Damien Tansey, solicitor for the Kelly family, said Ms Kelly had been told she was going to Galway for a relatively minor procedure and had expected to be home again in Sligo the following day.
He said the dead woman had been under the care of consultant Dr J.J. Gilmartin but he had never explained to the family why she had died.
Sgt Peadar Ryan told the inquest that during his investigations, Dr Gilmartin had declined to make a statement but had said he would attend the coroner's inquest. Sgt Ryan said he had difficulty ascertaining who had pronounced her dead. He had sought medical files but was told he could not have them without the permission of the family.
Consultant pathologist Dr Charles Connolly said he carried out an autopsy on the dead woman on December 4th. The cause of death was cardiac arrest due to aspiration of blood into the bronchii following a needle aspiration of the left pleural cavity.
He said it had been a difficult autopsy as the "key event" had happened almost a month earlier. He had to phone one of the doctors involved to find out which side the aspiration was performed on as the medical charts were unclear. He agreed that blood had got into the woman's lung and that the attempted or failed needle aspiration could have been the cause of blood getting in there.
Dr Connolly replied "correct" when asked by Mr Tansey if the lung was punctured as a result of the failed procedure. The inquest continues today.