A MAN died from complications of a toxic reaction to a medication after he was given an antibiotic he was allergic to while in hospital.
Thomas O’Gorman (84), of Swords, Co Dublin, died at Beaumont Hospital on October 6th, 2007, after developing a painful and rare life-threatening skin condition which left 30 per cent of his body covered in ulcerated sores.
An inquest at Dublin city coroner’s court yesterday heard that Mr O’Gorman was administered the antibiotic vancomycin on September 12th, 2007, for treatment for MRSA colonisation and to prevent MRSA septicaemia.
Colonisation means a person is carrying the bug on their skin, but it does not cause infection or ill health. He was taken off the drug two days later when he developed a rash after the third dose of the antibiotic.
Mr O’Gorman had been diagnosed with a hypersensitivity to the antibiotic vancomycin on a previous admission to hospital, but the allergy was not noted prominently in his medical chart, the court heard. “Please avoid this antibiotic in the future,” a discharge note from April 15th, 2005, stated.
The rash deteriorated and on September 27th Mr O’Gorman, who had extensive blisters on his shoulders, inner thighs and lips, was diagnosed with the rare skin condition, TEN (toxic epidermo necrolysis). The condition was described as being “like a grade three burn wound.”
Mr O’Gorman’s condition deteriorated and he died on October 6th, 2007, just over a month after his admission on August 31st for treatment for swollen legs and tissue infection. A postmortem found he died of multi-organ failure due to TEN, caused by a hypersensitivity reaction to vancomycin.
Consultant at Beaumont Hospital at the time, Hugo Prins, who was not working in the hospital in 2005, agreed with counsel for the family Fergal Doyle that the reference to vancomycin “was missed” in 2007. There was no evidence given in court as to who prescribed the antibiotic, but Mr Prins said that if he had seen the discharge note he would not have prescribed vancomycin.
The coroner Dr Brian Farrell recorded a verdict of medical misadventure.