Decision Report 201602572

Summary

Mrs C complained about the standard of treatment provided to her father (Mr A) in relation to dead tissue in his big toe. Mr A was diabetic and suffered from a condition which affected his circulation. Mr A had several admissions to hospital and out-patient treatment, but after several months his condition deteriorated and he was admitted to Hairmyers Hospital with severe disease of the arteries.

A surgeon decided to manage Mr A's condition conservatively (without surgery), but Mrs C said that it was clear he was deteriorating due to an infection. After a week, another surgeon undertook an emergency operation to amputate Mr A's leg above the knee.

Mrs C complained that the board failed to ensure surgery was undertaken within a reasonable time and that this had an adverse effect on the outcome.

We took independent medical advice from a specialist in diagnosing and treating conditions which affect circulation. We found that the standard of care and treatment provided to Mr A was reasonable, that it was appropriate to initially treat Mr A's condition conservatively and that the time taken to perform surgery was reasonable. We also found no evidence that any other intervention would have saved Mr A's leg. We therefore did not uphold Mrs C's complaint.