An inquest has heard how a Ryde man with severe learning difficulties died after suffering a heart attack, only days after undergoing a procedure carried out at St Mary’s Hospital, here on the Isle of Wight.
57-year-old Bronislaw Dubicki was admitted to St Mary’s on September 23 last year to undergo a procedure to remove eight teeth, which had decayed over a long period of time.
It was felt by doctors that Mr Dubicki would be too distressed to stay conscious during the procedure, and therefore a decision was made to place him under general anaesthetic.
Tragically, only a few hours after the first part of the procedure to rid Mr Dubicki of his rotten teeth, he suffered a heart attack.
The inquest, held in Portsmouth, heard from Consultant cardiologist Dr Mark Connaughton, who explained that he used thrombolysis, or clot-busting drugs, to tackle the condition.
‘The Gazette’ has learnt over time that the use of thrombolysis is not routinely carried out at St Mary’s due to the high risks involved; however in other parts of the country it has been very successful.
Mr Dubicki was transferred directly by land ambulance to the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth after this clot-busting effort failed to work.
Consultant cardiologist at the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Dr Huw Griffiths, carried out an angioplasty, an operation to physically shift the clot, but this was also unsuccessful. Sadly, Mr Dubicki went into cardiac arrest in the early hours of the following day and attempts to resuscitate him failed.
It was heard at the inquest that Mr Dubicki’s main arteries to the heart were severely congested, but it had not been known prior to his teeth removal that he suffered from heart disease.
In recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner for Portsmouth and South East Hampshire, David Horsley said: “Given the state of his heart, he could have died at any time. That he has died when he has relates back to the dental treatment he received - that’s not criticising, it’s an unforeseen consequence of the procedure that has been undertaken.”
The coroner concluded saying that he would contact St Mary’s Hospital to ensure that the hospital had the proper procedures in place to identify cases of heart disease, prior to general anaesthetic being administered.
