An inquest has heard how a businessman who died following severe complications with a cancer operation could have survived had he been re-operated on sooner.
Malcolm Green, who was 82-years-old, died after he began bleeding internally following an operation to remove a tumour in 2012.
However, an operation to treat the bleeding wasn’t carried out until the following day.
Officials have admitted that they failed to respond to Mr Green’s condition in time.
The inquest heard how he had gone into Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest for surgery on 26th June 2012 to remove a tumour in the colon.
However, his blood pressure had dropped overnight and staff at the hospital and the next morning, staff found that there was internal bleeding.
Mr Green was then prepared for an operation at 10am however the procedure didn’t actually get underway for another three hours, the Milford Haven inquest heard.
Three days later, he died after suffering multiple organ failure.
Professor Michael Keighley, a retired professor of surgery, said at the inquest this week (16th April) that
Mr Green “would probably have survived” had the surgery been carried out before 10:15am.
He said that multi organ failure was a condition primarily caused by delays in operating, and it was a “breach of duty” to not re-operate before that time.
Professor Keighley told the inquest that a senior house doctor should have called a registrar after being alerted to Mr Green’s low blood pressure results at 6:30am that morning.
“If there’s a patient who’s bleeding you stop the bleeding. You stop the bleeding, you don’t wait for blood products,” he said.
Hywel Dda University Health Board Trust said they know that there were failings in the care of Mr Green and steps had been taken to make sure that these mistakes were not repeated.
The coroner will issue his conclusion to the case at a later date.