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Case ref:201810411
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Date:August 2019
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Body:Grampian NHS Board
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Sector:Health
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Outcome:Not upheld, no recommendations
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Subject:clinical treatment / diagnosis
Summary
Mr C complained about the treatment his late wife (Mrs A) received at A&E of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Mrs A had collapsed at home, and had suffered a fatal heart attack. Despite attempts at cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Mrs A died. The board maintained that appropriate tests and investigations were carried out when Mrs A suddenly deteriorated and that the cardiac arrest could not have been predicted.
We took independent advice from an emergency department consultant. We found that the staff involved had carried out appropriate assessments and investigations into a possible cause for Mrs A's collapse at home and that she was being monitored appropriately. While the results of investigations were being waited on, Mrs A suddenly deteriorated and staff were unable to save her life. We did not uphold the complaint.