Inquest details hospital ‘panic’ before mother’s death

The husband of a woman who passed away days after receiving an accidental paracetamol overdose in a hospital gave tearful testimony in court as he recounted her final days. Laura Higginson, 30, who died on April 19, 2017, at Whiston Hospital in Prescot, Merseyside, suffered from a rare and severe genetic condition which, according to her inquest, meant she was significantly underweight and should have been prescribed a lower dose. Dr Antony Higginson stated he only discovered the dosage error months later when his GP provided him with a copy of his late wife’s post-mortem report. Whiston Hospital, which had previously acknowledged administering an excessive amount of paracetamol intravenously over two days, asserted it had immediately given Mrs Higginson an antidote and that this did not cause her death. During Mrs Higginson’s inquest, held in Bootle, Dr Higginson informed the coroner that his wife had vomited blood and developed jaundice following the overdose. Dr Higginson described “a lot of shouting going on at the nursing station,” adding there was “panic.” Testimony at the inquest indicated Mrs Higginson had arrived at the hospital’s emergency department two days earlier, feeling unwell and coughing up a brown substance. Her husband stated they had visited A&E on multiple occasions due to her kidney and liver issues. Mrs Higginson received a diagnosis of Gitelmam Syndrome in 2010 and frequently required infusions of potassium and magnesium. Dr Higginson recounted that she had entered the hospital for her last visit on April 5, 2017. “It was just a normal, routine thing we’d done many times before,” he said. Dr Higginson told the court his wife had received the first dose while he was still with her, and it was decided she would be kept in for monitoring. “She wanted to come home and I was like – you’re in the best place,” he said. “I wish I’d never done that.” Dr Higginson testified that his wife contacted him on the morning of April 7, reporting unwellness. She described her stomach as distended “like I’m pregnant,” her skin as yellow, and noted she was coughing up blood. “She said, ‘Something’s not right… just get here’,” Dr Higginson told the inquest. He said he arrived at the hospital to find his wife exhausted and vomiting blood. Dr Higginson stated he perceived shouting and a sense of “panic” while retrieving additional sick bowls from the nurses’ station. The inquest heard Mrs Higginson was transferred to intensive care, where her condition continued to worsen. Her family was informed that she had suspected sepsis. She began to hallucinate and remove the tubes going into her body, and was subsequently placed in an induced coma. Dr Higginson said he had left his wife with her parents hours earlier so he could take their young children home. He became emotional as he described a phone call from his wife’s mother. “I just heard this howl from her, this blood-curdling sound.“She just burst out crying and said, ‘She’s gone’.” A post-mortem examination was conducted by the hospital in an attempt to identify the origin of the sepsis, and a death certificate was issued. Several months later, Dr Higginson sought antidepressants from his GP, citing that he was “struggling.” He stated that during the consultation, he mentioned not having seen the post-mortem report, after which he was provided with a copy. “I read staggered paracetamol overdose and I was like, ‘Oh my God’,” he said. “My world was spinning.” The trust had previously stated that an antidote was administered immediately upon recognition of the incorrect dosage. The trust’s inquiry into Ms Higginson’s death concluded that the effect was “transient,” and the trust asserted it did not contribute to her demise. At the inquest, held at Bootle Town Hall, it was revealed that in 2017, patients in the emergency department were neither weighed nor asked about their weight. This procedure was only carried out upon admission to a ward. Mrs Higginson’s initial prescription for paracetamol was issued while she remained in the emergency department. The error was identified on April 7 by Rachel Brown, then a junior pharmacist, during her review of Mrs Higginson’s medication. By that stage, she had already received six doses. Henry Pithers KC, representing the family, questioned Ms Brown regarding potential insufficient awareness among nursing personnel concerning dosage adjustments for varying body weights. She responded that the system underwent changes in 2018/19 following Mrs Higginson’s death, and additional training had been implemented. The proceedings are ongoing.