Sister Hopes Lessons Are Learned After Coroner Rules Brother’s Death Preventable

A coroner has determined that the passing of a patient at Causeway Hospital was “preventable and avoidable.” Christopher Trolan, a resident of Ballymoney, passed away because hospital personnel did not administer an adequate dosage of antibiotics necessary for his recovery after he became unwell in November 2019. Coroner Louisa Fee stated that numerous opportunities were missed and deficiencies occurred in his treatment, asserting that the 37-year-old would have lived had he received proper care. The inquest revealed that after initial medical intervention, his health appeared to be getting better, leading to the impression that the prescribed medication was effective. Nevertheless, a fortnight after his admission, Mr. Trolan’s health worsened, marked by elevated temperatures and an accelerated heart rate. New medication was administered to the father of two, but the coroner concluded that there had been “undertreatment” with antibiotics, which proved insufficient to eliminate bacteria within a clot on his heart. The coroner noted that the oversight in recognizing this error in Mr. Trolan’s prescription was not documented in his medical records, characterizing this omission as “striking.” She indicated that hospital staff were cognizant of the mistake and that it ought to have been communicated with both the patient and his family, but this did not occur. She further stated that Mr. Trolan’s medical state was not adequately assessed by personnel at Causeway Hospital. Patrick Mullarkey, the legal representative for the family, reported that the coroner also asserted there “were multiple opportunities to intervene and change the outcome” of the situation. Outside the courtroom, Mr. Trolan’s sister, Laura, expressed that his passing had caused immense grief for their family. “In particular for his wife and two young sons, who were aged just two years old and 13 weeks old at the time,” she said. “Although today’s verdict brings closure on what has been a prolonged and extremely difficult five-year review of Christopher’s care, it confirms what we, his family, have always believed. “That is, that Christopher’s death is highly likely to have been avoided had Causeway Hospital provided the appropriate treatment.” She further commented that “significant errors” committed by the hospital and their prolonged undetected status constituted “evidence of substandard care and systemic failure.” “We can only hope that lessons are learned from Christopher’s death so that other families do not have to go through what we have,” she added. In a formal statement, the Northern health trust declared: “We offer our sincere condolences to Mr Trolan’s family and apologise unreservedly for the failings in care that have been highlighted.” “We fully accept the coroner’s findings and will take time to reflect on the learning,” the trust affirmed. “The Trust has already undertaken an investigation into Mr Trolan’s care and identified learning which has been shared with staff,” they appended. “This is a very tragic situation, and we are deeply sorry for the family’s pain and loss.”