THE HSE WILL conduct a full review into the case of a 76-year-old man who was discharged from University Hospital Limerick and died two days later from sepsis.
Michael Cuddihy’s death occurred in November 2023, less than a year after 16-year-old Aoife Johnston died of sepsis following a 12-hour wait in UHL’s emergency department which was overcrowded at the time.
Speaking on an RTÉ Prime Time programme that will air tonight at 9.35pm, Michael’s daughter Anne will remark that UHL “clearly didn’t learn” from Aoife Johnston’s death 11 months previous.
“My dad died from sepsis too, and I just don’t understand how after the death of a 16-year-old girl, they cannot go all out to ensure that this does not happen to somebody else, whatever age they are,” Anne told RTÉ Investigates.
In November 2023, Michael Cuddihy was told that he had a stomach bug and was free to go home, but asked to stay overnight at UHL as he was not feeling well.
The following day he was discharged and two days later he died from sepsis as a result of a trapped gallstone.
Hospital notes seen by RTÉ Investigates show that after Michael asked not to be discharged, he was moved to another section of the Emergency Department at UHL.
Overnight, he was found vomiting by nursing staff.
The notes also show that he had a raised temperature, but it appears there was no medical follow-up.
RTÉ reports that Michael was on a trolley for 18 hours without being assessed by a doctor.
HIQA had carried out an unannounced inspection of the Emergency Department at UHL on the day Michael was discharged from UHL, which found there was unacceptable overcrowding at the hospital.
His daughter Anne told RTÉ that staff within UHL had told the family that the hospital was “down 20 nurses when my dad was in hospital”.
The HSE confirmed to RTÉ that it will conduct a full review into Michael’s death and that his family will be invited to participate.
RTÉ reports that earlier this year, Michael’s family were told during a meeting with UHL that a review was not necessary “as all the deficits were identified in the preliminary assessment”.
However, the family were contacted this week and informed that a full review will now take place.
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