Unclear roles and duties of Hong Kong medical personnel during intensive care transport partly to blame for death of patient, investigation finds
- Panel says there were problems in clinical handover process and potential design flaws in oxygen valve found unopened during patient’s transfer to intensive care unit
- Patient admitted to Caritas Medical Centre for eye surgery last year died after oxygen levels dropped during transfer
Unclear roles and responsibilities of medical personnel are partly to blame for the death of a 79-year-old patient at a Hong Kong hospital, an investigation has found.
The Hospital Authority’s review had not singled out any Caritas Medical Centre staff for being at fault, but highlighted problems in clinical handover procedures and potential design flaws in an oxygen valve that was found unopened during the patient’s transfer to an intensive care unit last year.
A spokesman for the Cheung Sha Wan facility on Tuesday again expressed its condolences to the man’s family.
“The centre once again apologises and expresses its deep condolences for the incident. The hospital will maintain communication with family members and provide necessary assistance.”
The death is still being investigated by the coroner.
The patient was admitted to Caritas Medical Centre on November 27 last year for a cataract operation on his right eye scheduled two days later. He had previously undergone surgery for a peptic ulcer and inguinal hernia, and had been admitted for multiple episodes of intestinal blockages, according to the centre.
The man was later suspected to have an acute intestinal obstruction, before developing bacteraemia, or bacteria in the blood. His condition continued to deteriorate and he was escorted to the intensive care unit on the morning of November 28, the centre spokesman said.