Compensation recovered for failure to diagnose diabetic ketoacidosis
In this case study we look at a successful claim for failure to diagnose diabetic ketoacidosis
We were contacted by Mr H, to assist him with a claim for his late wife, Mrs H, who sadly passed away in March 2021.
Mrs H had several health conditions including, chronic hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver, bipolar affective disorder, and affective psychosis. Mrs H had also been newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
On the 1st of March 2021, Mrs H received her AstraZeneca vaccine. However, this led to her having episodes of vomiting, which meant she was unable to take her usual diabetic medication, as she was unable to keep them down. Mrs H contacted her GP the following day and she was told that they would book her in to be reviewed by a nurse for her diabetes. The vomiting continued so she contacted her GP practice again the following day and she was prescribed cyclizine, to help with the nausea.
By the 4th of March, Mrs H was still vomiting and was very unwell with confusion. They called the GP practice again and explained that the recently prescribed cyclizine was not working. Not long after, they called 111 and an ambulance arrived at their home. It was noted that Mrs H had been vomiting since having the vaccine and that she had not been able to take her usual medication. Observations were done and it was noted that Mrs H’s glucose level was 20.0mmol/L. Mrs H was told to contact them again if she continued to feel unwell.
The following day, the GP practice contacted Mrs H’s social worker and advised that her daughter had called them 7 times advising that Mrs H was “confused and talking nonsense”. The family called for an ambulance again, due to Mrs H still feeling unwell, not sleeping, and being confused. More observations were carried out, which showed that her blood glucose levels had risen to 24.2mmol/L. Paramedics told her that she needed to continue taking the medication and to call them back if there was no improvement.
Unfortunately, nearly 24 hours later, Mrs H was found deceased by her daughter. A postmortem was performed, and the cause of death was Diabetic Ketoacidosis, due to a failure to control her type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
Our medical negligence specialist and partner, Caroline Webber-Brown took the case on, working under our popular no win, no fee arrangement. Caroline began by issuing letters of notification to the GP practice and the ambulance service, alleging that Mrs H should have been admitted into hospital for further tests due to her blood glucose levels being high and rising, and that the symptoms she was suffering from were an indication of ketoacidosis. Had Mrs H been admitted to hospital, her blood glucose would have been controlled and her death would have been avoided.
Following Caroline’s presentation of the case, liability was admitted by both defendants. This led to an out-of-court settlement of the claim being reached.
For guidance on making a compensation claim for failure to diagnose diabetic ketoacidosis contact our free legal helpline. Call us on freephone 0333 888 0412 or send an email to [email protected]