THE HUSBAND of a woman who died following an elective hysterectomy at a private hospital said he had “got justice” for his wife, after an inquest at which a verdict of medical misadventure was recorded.
Linda Royal (50), Forest Green, Kingswood Heights, Tallaght, Dublin, was “very seriously ill” with multi-organ dysfunction and septicaemia when she arrived at St James’s Hospital from Mount Carmel Hospital, Dublin on September 28th, 2008. She died the following day.Outside Dublin City Coroner’s Court after the inquest yesterday, solicitor for Ms Royal’s family Damien Tansey said there would be a civil action.
The mother-of-three had a vaginal hysterectomy at Mount Carmel on September 22nd, the inquest had been told.
Upon arrival in theatre at St James’s Hospital six days later, doctors found a lack of blood supply to her abdominal organs.
Coroner Dr Brian Farrell said by the time surgeon Narayanasamy Ravi saw Ms Royal at St James’s Hospital, she was “very seriously ill” and “the situation was irretrievable”.
The inquest heard Ms Royal developed septicaemia or blood poisoning caused by a rare “gram-negative” bacteria after the procedure, which led to multi-organ failure and septic shock with extensive lack of blood supply to the bowel. The coroner said he was satisfied it was a post-operative complication and he recorded a verdict of death by medical misadventure.
After the inquest, her husband, Louis Royal, said they had got “justice” for his wife, whom he described as a “beautiful woman”. “We’re very happy now to move on . . . just go forward now,” an upset Mr Royal, adding he did not feel all the family’s questions had been answered.
Outside court, Mr Tansey said the balance of questions would be answered through the civil action. “It’s clear following the hearing that took place . . . that Mrs Royal was a sick woman for several days before she was transferred, beyond recovery, to St James’s Hospital from Mount Carmel.”
The couple had a daughter and two sons, Deborah (24), Keith (27) and Shane (14).
The inquest heard Ms Royal was stable after the procedure on September 22nd and was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection on day three following the operation. The next day she complained of nausea and tenderness and on September 27th, was prescribed laxatives.
The surgeon who did the procedure on the 22nd, Dr Mona Joyce, told the inquest that up to September 27th she had no cause for concern about Ms Royal. That evening she believed the patient had post-operative constipation, and prescribed a laxative.
When Dr Joyce was called to see Ms Royal on the morning of September 28th, she was concerned by her “sudden” and “dramatic deterioration”. She considered she might have a bowel perforation and organised an urgent transfer to intensive care at St James’s.