Feeding-tube death ruled an accident
A coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death yesterday in the case of a grandmother who died after nurses inserted a tube into her lung by mistake.
Lee Kuan-sin, 88, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 29 last year from pneumonia caused by liquid food entering her lung.
Coroner Andrew Chan Hing-wai said nurses at Chi Lin Home for the Aged in Wong Tai Sin wrongly inserted a feeding tube into her right bronchus on July 23 last year, resulting in about one litre of milk and congee entering her lung and worsening a chest infection.
'The nurses first inserted the feeding tube into the wrong position, then they either did not carry out a test or did not make the right judgment before starting to feed Ms Lee,' he said.
It was not clear who inserted the tube but Mr Chan said food had entered her lung more than once. 'Based on the amount of food found in Ms Lee's lung, we can say that the mistake had happened more than once.'
The coroner said he would not make any recommendations to the Government over the death.
