A statement by a psychiatric nurse about an incident in which a disturbed patient died at Cork University Hospital contained alterations when it was returned by a Southern Health Board official to the nurse in typed form, the High Court heard yesterday.
References to the patient lying face-down and to the nurse lying across the patient's back had been deleted, it was claimed.
Mr Pat Healy, who has not worked since the death on April 21st, 1994, also said it was at the inquest into the patient's death in March 1995 that he learned for the first time that the drug Largactyl, which was administered to the patient while under restraint, heightens the risk of asphyxia.
Mr Healy (39), of Portaferry, Co Down, was continuing his evidence in his action for damages against the Southern Health Board over the incident on April 21st, 1994, when the patient collapsed and later died, allegedly after being physically restrained by Mr Healy and other staff.
Because of the SHB's alleged failure to train him in appropriate restraint techniques, Mr Healy claims he placed his body partially across the patient's trunk while the man, who was in his 30s, was lying face down.
At the inquest in March 1995, Mr Healy said he learned the patient had died due to asphyxiation having inhaled his own vomit.
After the incident, Mr Healy said he initially felt physically exhausted and later experienced difficulties sleeping, was very angry, depressed and anxious.
The board admits the patient died but denies the claim that he collapsed under restraint, apparently vomited, suffered asphyxia or cardiac arrest.
It pleads that if Mr Healy suffered the injuries claimed, which it denies, these were caused or contributed to by his own negligence in that he refused to avail of the board's offer of psychiatric care.
In evidence yesterday, Mr Healy said his handwritten statement about the incident had contained phrases including "with great difficulty, using our weight, we held X, who was face-down, on the floor." He had given his statement to a superior in order to have it typed, but when the statement was returned the phrases "using our weight" and "who was face-down" were deleted.
Later, after receiving legal advice, he had "very reluctantly" signed the typed statement.
During cross-examination, Mr Michael Hanna SC, for the board, said a doctor would say he found Mr Healy had no features of post-traumatic stress disorder when he recently examined him.
The case resumes on Wednesday.
