Fall Survivor Suffers Brain Injury Following Anaesthetic Error
12/05/2011
The wife of a Bristol engineer, who survived a 30ft fall only to suffer from devastating brain injuries because of a series of surgical errors, has called for lessons to be learnt.
David Eslick, a 46-year-old former heating engineer, was being treated at North Bristol NHS Trust after a terrifying fall when he inhaled the contents of his stomach – porridge which he had eaten for breakfast that morning - into his lungs, whilst being put under anaesthetic.
The hospital later admitted that doctors had used the wrong anaesthetic technique, leading to Mr Eslick’s injuries, leaving him with a paralysed left hand and significant mobility problems.
The father of one had been rushed to hospital in June 2009 after plummeting 30 feet when a tile became lose on the roof where he was working. In hospital, doctors confirmed that he had fractured his spine, leg and ankle.
After responding well to the emergency treatment, David was taken back into surgery a day later for a routine operation on his ankle. But when wife Juliette, 40, visited him later that day she was taken to ITU where she found her husband on a ventilator. He remained in a coma for five weeks.
David later regained consciousness and was transferred to the stroke unit at the Bristol Royal Infirmary where he started rehabilitation. Unable to swallow or speak normally, he underwent months of painful rehabilitation but whilst he regained some movement in the left side of his body, his left hand was paralysed and he continues to suffer various difficulties with that side of his body. He also suffers from significant memory problems.
The incident has led to medical negligence solicitors at Irwin Mitchell to call upon North Bristol NHS Trust to learn the lessons from the errors made.
Kate Easy, a medical law and patients’ rights expert, said: “Although David suffered serious leg and back injuries medical experts were confident that he would have made a very good recovery following the initial surgery, even positive that he would be able to return to the job he loved. Instead, two years on, he is heavily dependent on his family for support and will never be able to live independently again.
“Though it is a huge relief to both David, and his family, that the Trust has admitted fault it is now imperative that lessons are learnt and improvements made to prevent future suffering.”
Juliette said: “Staff told me that David was paralysed and a head scan showed that he had no movement on the left side of his body and had suffered brain damage, most likely as a result of a stroke caused by breathing the porridge into his lungs.
“Although David suffered serious injuries in his fall the real challenges he now faces for the rest of his life are caused by his brain injury. I just want assurances that lessons have been learnt so that every possible step is taken to prevent anyone suffering as we have going forward.”
David, who owned his own heating engineering business in Bristol, was forced to dissolve the company as a result of his injuries.
Kate Easy from Irwin Mitchell said: “There is no escaping the fact that as a result of the basic errors made whilst administering the anaesthetic a man’s life has been turned upside down. It is now a question of ensuring that David has access to the care and rehabilitation he needs so that he, and his family, can live as normal a life as possible in spite of his injuries.”
Juliette said: “David’s brain injury has been devastating. We have been married for 13 years and have a 10-year-old son, Scott.
“We now have financial difficulties due to David having to give up work. Since the brain injury his personality has changed and it’s been very tough trying to carry on and shoulder the day to day responsibilities of running the home by myself.
“At the end of the day David is my husband. I love him very much and I know if I had been in a similar position he would have done the same for me. Any kind of brain injury is difficult to deal with but there is help available from specialists and charities and more needs to be done to make sure that people with brain injuries and their families get information and support at the earliest opportunity.”
Back to news