Coroner’s warning after woman dies from anaesthetic for hip operation

The administration of a common local anaesthetic used for pain relief in surgeries has caused concern following the tragic death of a 47-year-old woman, Dr Rachel Gibson, as well as being a recognised cancer scientist with a PhD in neuroendocrinology, was a much loved wife and mum.

She was undergoing hip replacement surgery at the Spire Lea private hospital in Cambridge due to her severe osteoarthritis and during what should have been surgery to improve her quality of life, she was given the wrong dose of Ropivacaine. She was given an amount which exceeded the recommended dose, as the local anaesthetic was not diluted with saline as it should be before being administered.

As a result, this caused Rachel to suffer a cardiac arrest following the surgery. Although she was resuscitated, she sadly sustained irreversible brain damage and died three months later.

Inquest

In a recent inquest, Phillip Barlow, the Assistant Coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, commented that the anaesthetic administered was “in excess of the recommended dose”.

An inquest into Dr Gibson’s death revealed that the practice for this type of anaesthetic is for the anaesthetist to give oral instruction to the nurse specifying the type and dose of local anaesthetic to be used. The scrub nurse then gives the anaesthetic to the surgeon who applies the same to the patient. In this case, the intention was for the solution to be diluted with saline and the evidence suggested this was not carried out. The inquest found that this type of practice is common nationally, there is no consistency with how the local anaesthetic is prescribed. The instructions being given orally and not in writing mean that there is margin for error. Sometimes the anaesthetic is prescribed in millilitres and sometimes in milligrams, this provides further increasing the risk of mistakes.

Spire Lea Hospital in Cambridge

The hospital in question, Spire Lea Hospital in Cambridge, has now introduced a system for labelling and countersigning the drug that was given during the operation. However, there is a clear issue with the provision of this type of local anaesthetic and a risk of future deaths occurring. The coroner awaits The Royal College of Anaesthetists response, which is due within 56 days of his report, having been called to make widespread changes to procedure.

Dr Gibson’s husband, Cliff Gibson said “It was devastating for us as a family to learn that there is a fundamental problem with inconsistencies and ambiguities in the way anaesthetics are given to patients across the country.” He continued: “Major changes need to be made and we will do everything we can to ensure that happens so that appalling mistakes like this never happen again.”

Our experienced team have substantial experience in helping those who have gone through medical negligence, resulting in significant injury or death. This includes claims in respect of anaesthetic errors. If you or a loved one have suffered substandard care, please contact the Clinical Negligence Department on 01482 323697, who have the skills, knowledge and experience to assist.