Castlederg man’s death was ‘avoidable’, says coroner

A CASTLEDERG man’s death just days after he underwent surgery to remove a tumour from his mouth was ‘avoidable’, a coroner has found.

John McHugh, who lived at Lurganboy Road in the town, was aged 66 when he passed away at Altnagelvin Hospital on August 3, 2019.

The Western Health and Social Care Trust initiated a Serious Adverse Incident investigation into the case.

Delivering her findings today at Laganside Courts in Belfast, the Coroner, Maria Dougan, found that there were missed opportunities in his treatment.

She said that the surgery to remove the turmour from his mouth was ‘too invasive,’ adding that the discussions on the treatment at a meeting of a Multi-Disciplinary Team should have been recorded and minutes of their discussions kept.

The Coroner’s Court was also told that a tracheostomy tube which is used to help air and oxygen reach the lungs by creating an opening in a person’s wind pipe was removed too soon.

The coroner found that ‘it would have been prudent’ to leave the tube insterted for a longer period of time.

Members of Mr McHugh’s family had raised the observation that no tracheostomy tube was in place when they saw him in the hospital bed following his death, but that this was then in place when they later viewed his remains in the mortuary.

Ms Dougan went on to say that one of the consultants treating Mr McHugh had ‘not adhered’ to the Western Trust’s own guidance.

She went on to say that there should have been ‘realistic goals’ set as part of a ‘weaning process’ as set out by the Western Trust guidance in cases such as Mr McHugh’s.

The coroner expressed her condolences to the McHugh family. She acknowledged their patience in participating in what she described as a ‘complex and difficult inquest.’

A representative of the Western Trust also expressed their condolences to the family.