Decision Report 201804070

Summary

Mr C complained about the treatment he received at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. He had attended as a day case for an Endoscopic Ultrasound Scan (EUS, a minimally invasive procedure to assess digestive and lung diseases) where a biopsy was taken. On the way home after the procedure Mr C became unwell and was taken to another hospital where he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). He was admitted for treatment and further deteriorated, and it was found he had ruptured his spleen which then had to be removed. Mr C felt that the EUS had not been carried out appropriately and that it had caused his health problems.

We took independent medical advice from a consultant surgeon. We found that the EUS had been performed appropriately but unfortunately Mr C had developed pancreatitis which is a rare but recognised complication of the procedure and there was no evidence of any failings during the procedure. Similarly, Mr C then developed a further rare complication of pancreatitis where his spleen ruptured which is usually as a result of infection or severe inflammation. We did not uphold the complaint.