HEART TROUBLE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20109, 30 March 1928, Page 8

HEART TROUBLE

DEATH AFTER OPERATION inquest on young man At the Al agist rate’s Court yesten .'ay morning, before the Coroner (Mr ,J. S. Barton, S.M.), an inquest was held on Harry Maynard Reynolds, who died under an anaesthetic when undergoing an operation for septic tonsilitis. George Hubert Reynolds, father oi deceased, a clerk at the East Town workshops, said he had identified the body as that of his son, who was a single man aged 22, an attendant at the Wanganui East baths. His son entered a. private hospital on March 21 and on the following (kiy witness was called to tip? hospital, and told to expect the worst. At six or seven years of age his son had scarlet fever and spent six weeks in hospital. At 10 years he was treated in Auckland for a bite. In 1918 he was very ill with influenza. As a result of the trouble when he was ten years old he was in a hospital in Wellington. Ho seemed in good health when he entered the private hospital.

Annie S. Chambers, a registered nurse of the hospital, said that the patient was returned to his bed, after the operation. He was still under the anaesthetic.

At 10.15 o’clock the patient had not come round and she called in Dr. Robertson, but Dr. Williams arrived almost immediately and took charge. About 11 o’clock Dr. Christie arrived-. The patient was then returned to the theatre and had another stitch inserted in his throat. He was then returned to his bed. After the stitching, Dr. Christie went away but came back and gave him an injection to stop the bleeding. The doctor was recalled between two and two fifteen o'uiock w.hen the patient’s pulse began to weaken. He ordered an injection which was given. Everything possible was done for the patient.

Dr. Kcnrick Christie said that deceased was a patient of his for about a month before ho entered the hospital* He was suffering from septic tonsilitis. The deceased was thoroughly examined before the operation. The patient had told him that he (the deceased) had vomited a lot after previous operations. There was no evidence of any other disease. The same strength of anaesthetic was used for this operation as for the appendix. The operation took 45 minutes.

Witness remained at the hospital till It) a.m. at 11 a.m. having in mind that the patient had a bleeding tendency, he brought his instruments. He ordered the patient to the operating theatre where he found that the previous stitches were holding, but inserted another. The patient had a good pulse but was of a blue colour. ►Shortly after two o’clock witness received a message that the patient was getting low and returned, but the pulse weakened and the patient passed away. An injection was made to try and re-start the heart, but this failed. Witness had been asked on two previous occasions to perform the operation but did not as he required a week clear from work.

Dr. Williams corroborated the evi dence of Dr. Christie.

The Coroner found that deceased died from heart failure, accelerated by the operation. A weakness in the heart was evident but would not be detectable an ordinary inspection. The Coroner was satisfied that everything possible had been done for the patient after the operation.