DEATH UNDER ANAESTHETIC.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18302, 9 February 1925, Page 4

DEATH UNDER ANAESTHETIC.

QUESTION OF INFORMING RELATIVES. The inquest on tlie body of Mrs Jane Rickerby, 47 rears of ago, late of Lakeside. who died in the Christchurch Hospital oil Thursday, last while under an anaesthetic, was concluded before Mr Wyvern "Wilson, District Coroner, on Saturday.

Evidence of identification had previously been taken.

Dr. Walter R. Brcmner, house surgeon at the Christchurch Hospital, said that an operation was commenced on the woman for goitre. While the operation was in progress, lie was called into the theatre to administer a general anaesthetic of gas and oxygen, but he had not examined her heart. When the witness first saw the patient the local anrcsthetic had been quite sufficient. but the pain from the subsequent proceedings of the operation would have been too great. About half an hour after the witness had administered the ana'sthetic Mrs Rickerby showed signs of collapse, and the amcstiietic was immediately withdrawn. Dr. Widdowson, who was performing the .operation, had practically finished when she collapsed. Dr. Hugh L. Widdowson, on the staff of the Christchurch Hospital, said that iie examined Mrs Rickerby on Wednesday last. She was suffering from goitre wliieh was pressing on tho windpipe, thus making breathing difficult. Her heart was dilated and one of the valves was leaking. She was a bad operative person, but the operation was very necessary, because of tlie goitre pressing on the windpipe. The next morning (Thursday) at about 11.40 o'clock, the operation was commenced. Tho witness gave the woman a local anesthetic, tint when he got to the vstage of actually removing tho goitre he decided to give her an anrestheie of gas and oxygen because the pain which would follow would be too great. The patient took the general an.'psthetie fairly well and after the goitre was removed her breathing improved wonderfully. He had "finished the operation when Mrs Rickerby collapsed. All restorative remedies were immediately applied, but with no avail, and the woman died at 12.40 p.m. Dr. Keith N. C'oalgate. who has been on the staff of the Christchurelj Hospital three weeks, said that ho assisted Dr. Widdowson with the operation on Mrs Rickerby. He corroborated what the last witness related, for he had also examined the patient. "Was the deceased's husband informed that she was to be operated on on Thursday ?" asked the Coroner. , The doctor replied that Mrs Rickerby had been told two days before the operation that it was to take place. He told her on Wednesday that she was to be operated upon at 11 o'clock on Thursday. That was the usual practice, and if Mrs Rickerby could not have got ia touch with her husband or relatives, she was supposed to inform tho sister of the ward, who advised the hospital office, whose duty it wa s to inform tho patient's people. Dr. A. R. Pearson, pathologist at the Christchurch Hospital, said that he had made a post-mortem examination of tho body. Ho found that death was due to myocarditis and endocarditis accelerated by anaesthesia. The Coroner, in returning his verdict, said that when a patient died in a public hospital under an anaesthetic, it was Loth desirable and necessary for a close examination to be made in the interests of the publie, and the medical profession. Ho had made such an examination in the present case. It seemed to bo one of those unfortunate cases that must of necessity occur. Mrs Rickerby had a bad heart which had, however, been detected by tho doctors -who macte an examination prior to the operation. The operation had been successful and complete when tho patient collapsed and died. That risk had always to be taken with a person who was operated upon with a weak heart. There was one other matter he woifld like to mention. The husband had said_ in his evidence that lie had not been informed of the day or hour of the operation, and that ho felt that he should have heen notified. The Coroner did not know how that had come about, for a doctor had told what 1 course was usually followed whore a patient did evince any desire to tho nurses to communicate with her relatives. However, a message had not been conveyed to the patient's husband in this case. Where a patient evinced no desire to communicate with relatives, and a message was not sent to the husband or wife, or whoever the person might be, the Coroner could not say what happened. A woman might go into the hospital and lie there two or three days without her husband being informed She might not be in a condition physically or mentally to send a message or even to tell tho nurses, and no message would "be sent according to Dr. Coalgate's evidence.

Tlie Coroner returned .a verdict that Mrs llickerbv died in the hospital while under an anaesthetic necessary for an operation for goitre. Death ivas caused by heart failure duo to myocarditis and andocarditis accelerated by anaesthesia.