Girl, 13, died after mistake by hospital doctor, inquiry told
THE death of a 13-year-old girl could have been prevented if a doctor had not wrongly discharged her from hospital, a disciplinary hearing was told yesterday.
Kirsty Thompson had been suffering from abdominal pain and vomiting, but was sent home from Glasgow’s Victoria Infirmary only to collapse and die three days later, a General Medical Council (GMC) hearing was told.
Sarah Plaschkes, counsel for the GMC, said: “It may have been the case that her death could have been prevented if there was timely intervention.”
Kirsty’s father, a retired police officer, tried to resuscitate his daughter before she was taken to hospital with cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead an hour later.
Dr Marie McMahon, 35, is accused of misconduct in failing to acknowledge the teenager’s deteriorating condition. Her lack of proper assessment and failure to carry out a physical examination fell “seriously short” of the standard expected of a reasonably competent medical practitioner, it is alleged.
The GMC’s fitness to practise panel, sitting in Manchester, heard Kirsty was admitted to accident and emergency in March 2001, after complaining of a sore stomach and being unable to eat. She had also been persistently sick, with traces of blood in her vomit.
Miss Plaschkes said an endoscopy showed a serious inflammation of her oesophagus, but did not explain why there was blood in her vomit.
Kirsty was seen by Dr McMahon, a senior house officer at the infirmary since 1999, who authorised her discharge. A consultant physician who had examined Kirsty earlier was on the ward at the time and suggested to Dr McMahon she keep Kirsty in hospital until she started eating and drinking sufficiently.
Kirsty’s parents, Matthew and Margaret Thompson, said their daughter was weak and had difficulty in walking when leaving the hospital. In a written statement, Mrs Thompson said she suspected that the hospital was short on beds. Kirsty returned home on 14 March, but continued to be off her food and was still lethargic. She collapsed in the early hours of 17 March while sleeping in the same room as her mother.
Mrs Thompson said she was trying to say “mum, mum” before her husband, who had been sleeping in Kirsty’s room, came in and tried to revive her. He said: “I grabbed hold of her but couldn’t find a pulse or any signs of breathing. I gave her artificial respiration and I managed to get a pulse. She was then sick everywhere.” She was then taken to hospital.
In both of Dr McMahon’s examinations, the GMC said she did not pay any regard to the fact that Kirsty was not eating or drinking normally, that she was lethargic and there was a trend of increased pulse-rate.
Dr McMahon also did not carry out physical checks and did not speak to the girl’s parents regarding her condition.
A post-mortem examination revealed Kirsty died from peritonitis, brought on by intestinal obstruction. The panel was told the matter had been the subject of an internal hospital inquiry and had been referred to the procurator-fiscal.
Dr McMahon denies misconduct. The hearing continues.
