3. Mr A complains the Trust gave his mother three different medications on 6 April 2021, which caused her unexpected death. Mr A says his mother was happy and healthy before taking the medication and the family have still not recovered from the shock of her death.
4. Mr A wants an independent investigation and a financial payment.
5. Mrs B went to the Trust’s emergency department (ED) on the morning of 6 April 2021 with an abnormally fast heart rate (atrial fibrillation). The Trust treated her with medication to help slow this down. The ED referred Mrs B to the medical team who prescribed more medication to help stabilise her condition. Sadly, Mrs B never recovered and died soon after this.
9. Before we decide if we should do a detailed investigation of a complaint, we look at whether there are signs the organisation got something wrong. We do this by comparing what should have happened with what did happen. We have done this and have not seen any signs that something has gone wrong.
10. The information in Mrs B’s medical records shows that when she went to the ED, she had been complaining of chest pain that had started earlier that morning. On examination, her pulse rate was 140 (a normal pulse rate is 70 to 100). The doctor requested an ECG (a simple test to check heart rhythm), which confirmed she had atrial fibrillation.
11. The ED doctor gave two drugs, metoprolol (a beta blocker drug used to slow the heart down) and magnesium (a drug that can be helpful in slowing the heart rate down). This action was in line with the ESC guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation.
12. After this treatment, Mrs B’s heart rate slowed down to 100. The ED doctor referred Mrs B to the medical team for further review. The medical team reviewed the results of Mrs B’s blood tests. These showed raised troponin (a protein that is released into the bloodstream when there has been a heart attack) levels suggesting she had likely had a heart attack.
13. The medical team gave three more drugs - aspirin, clopidogrel (used to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke) and fondaparinux (used to stop blood clots). This action was in line with NICE guidance for heart problems. Our respiratory adviser explained this medication helps to prevent full blockage of the arteries.
14. We have seen no evidence in the records to suggest these drugs caused Mrs B any harm. The Trust had given Mrs B the medication in the morning and her condition was stable during the day. The nursing records suggest she was complaining of chest pain again in the evening and her oxygen levels dropped. Sadly, Mrs B did not recover, despite having the right drugs.
15. We understand this was a difficult time for Mr A and we appreciate him sharing details of his experience with us. We hope this statement gives reassurance that we have not seen that the Trust did anything wrong or that it harmed Mrs B. We hope this clearly explains the reasons why we will not be taking any further action on Mr A’s complaint.
1. We have carefully considered Mr A’s complaint about North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust (the Trust). We are sorry to hear his concerns about the care his mother, Mrs B, had at the Trust before she died.
2. We considered all the available evidence and we have not seen signs that the Trust did anything seriously wrong. We recognise how deeply Mr A and his family have been affected by what happened. We do not underestimate how difficult this time has been for them. Although we are unable to investigate his concerns further, we thank him for taking the time to bring them to us.