Decision Report 201607785

Summary

Mr C complained about the care and treatment provided to him at the A&E department of Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. Mr C said that when he attended with chest and back pain and shortness of breath he was told he was suffering from muscular pain and given painkillers. Mr C attended again two months later and was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism (PE - a blockage of the artery that carries oxygen between the heart and lungs). Mr C complained that he had not been properly assessed on his first attendance and that the doctor had focused on the fact that he had been to the gym the night before. He said that he felt the diagnosis of PE was missed and that the delay may have led to permanent damage.

During our investigation, we took independent advice from an A&E consultant. We found that the diagnosis of muscular pain made when Mr C first attended A&E was consistent with his reported symptoms and the observations carried out. The adviser said that whilst there appeared to have been some small areas of moderate damage to Mr C's lungs, it was not possible to state that this was due to a failure to diagnose him with PE at an earlier point. We did not uphold Mr C's complaint.