A BABY girl died hours after doctors failed to diagnose meningitis

[malditako]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/health/health/3365592/Sister-dies-brother-lives-as-twins-are-hit-by-meningitis-brain-bug.html


alarming!!!

[joebloggs]

easy to blame without knowing the full facts...

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/853162-teenager-has-left-testicle-removed-then-told-he-never-had-cancer

my misses knows the consultant urologist and as the urologist said

He said: ‘It is very rare that a lump, like the one that he presented with, turns out not to be cancerous.

‘Only one or two men in 100 will get the good news that he did.

‘Unfortunately, the only way to discover whether a lump is cancerous is for the testicle to be removed and the tissue looked at under a microscope.’
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so yes he was unlucky but maybe he is lucky to be alive and that it wasn't cancerous

[Doc Alan]

alarming!!!
Meningitis is an alarming condition, which sadly kills 300 people in the UK - 10% of those affected by bacterial meningitis (half of which occur in children under 5). It's also in the top 10 killers of children in the Philippines.The problem is that it's very hard to diagnose in the early stages. Symptoms may include fever, vomiting, headache, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights, and a rash that does not fade when pressure is applied. Every parent should be aware - read more in www.meningitis-trust.org
Vaccines are the only way to prevent it, and here we have the NHS childhood immunisation programme (for Haemophilus influenzae type B, Meningococcus group C, and Pneumococcus ...but not yet for the commonest cause which is Meningococcus group B). Immunisation is not generally recommended for adults either in UK or to my knowledge the Philippines. Diagnosis requires examination of fluid obtained by lumbar puncture, and prompt antibiotic treatment may be given before the precise diagnosis is available.
The commonest type of meningitis is viral, with similar symptoms and no specific treatment, but from which most people fully recover.

[sars_notd_virus]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/health/health/3365592/Sister-dies-brother-lives-as-twins-are-hit-by-meningitis-brain-bug.html


alarming!!!


very alarming!!..what i see and from experience of being hospitalized here in the UK is their conservative treatment its really very traumatic!! 5 different doctors on different work shifts looking after you and examines you with loads of different perspectives,pumping you out with all sort of medicines to cure you and at least make the pain less, whats with all those medicines ?? it can harm your liver,have adverse reactions,complications??..why not just give a straight forward treatment??

As a parent, i feel so heartbroken reading this news!!!

[gWaPito]

Who said g Parry didnt have the facts? The fact is I read the story yesterday in the mail so, it must be true. We all all human Joe, even our Florence Nightingale's, we all make mistakes, a baby died as a result of one of there mistakes. Im not sure what the remainder of Joe's post had to do in relation to the thread title? Hey Doc, I bet you go down a storm at parties :D only joking. Yes, its every parent worse nightmare. I remember when I was working in the Stroud valley back in the early 80's 5 children were killed by this condition in as many weeks. You would of thought lessons would of been learn't alas, not :NoNo: At least with the modern tech we have today, we can at least help ourselves

[joebloggs]

We all all human Joe, even our Florence Nightingale's, we all make mistakes, a baby died as a result of one of there mistakes. Im not sure what the remainder of Joe's post had to do in relation to the thread title?

its to do with blame, like the tv ad "wheres there's blame, theres a claim"

yes their only human, maybe they should look into why accidents happen, one reason maybe the hours they have to work sometimes..

my misses left 7pm friday, came back 11am saturday, left 7pm on saturday came back 11am today and left again at 7pm tonight,shes be back home tomoz at 11am :NoNo:

[Pete/London]

I don`t have much confidence in our hospitals and its just been confirmed by experience of my ex wife`s treatment that I have commented on in another thread. She spent 4 weeks in one of our largest teaching hospitals in London and following 4 brain scans, 2 lumber punctures, and 3 MRIs she was discharged from hospital with the diagnosis that she may have had a minor stroke, a virus or dementia. She is now at home with daily homecare, and thankfully is improving slowly.
They could not identify the virus as they did not take the lumber punctures soon enough, also she was given medicine in hospital that required the patient to be fully hydrated when in fact she had not had any liquids for nearly 24 hrs. If none of her family were there she would not have been fed and they had to make a fuss to ensure liquids or a drip was given promptly.
It also seems that a most of the consultants were not around at the weekends and the hospital is run by a skeleton crew of doctors on Sat and Suns.
By the way, at least when I visited, at least 50% of the nurses were filipino male and female.
It just seems that our hospitals are overloaded with patients, some staff that care and others that have a blase attitude but it all seems to be in a mess.
I expect to be deluged with stories of praise for our health service now, but I can only speak for my own experiences. I went for private treatment during last year and had to remind my consultant for the results of a biopsy that he had forgotten to enter into his notes. Stay healthy or go to France/Germany when your ill.:NoNo:

[gWaPito]

Thats too many hours Joe. With my 2 hour round trip, im doing on average 16 hour working 'day' but, im doing a simple job, not the stress your wife is under, nowhere near! Something will give Joe if those hours are kept up. I just saying we are all human and thats what humans do, make mistakes. None of us are perfect. I know Joe, you are standing up for your wife and her profession like all good husbands do:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Doc Alan]

..why not just give a straight forward treatment??

The treatment IS straightforward ! It's making the correct diagnosis and identifying the "bug" causing the meningitis which is difficult.
Of course every death from meningitis is heartbreaking . There will be a full enquiry, and the hospital trust will be sued. Hopefully that will save a few lives in future. But vaccination for Meningococcus group B which causes at least 40% of all cases of meningitis could save 120 deaths / year when it becomes available :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[joebloggs]

Thats too many hours Joe. With my 2 hour round trip, im doing on average 16 hour working 'day' but, im doing a simple job, not the stress your wife is under, nowhere near! Something will give Joe if those hours are kept up. I just saying we are all human and thats what humans do, make mistakes. None of us are perfect. I know Joe, you are standing up for your wife and her profession like all good husbands do:xxgrinning--00xx3:

thankfully she doesnt have to do them hours too often but there is A rota so usually someone she works with is doing them hours :NoNo:

as for treatment a couple of months ago i went to A&e with chest pains, i was being treated within 20 mins, spent the next 24hrs being monitored, i've got no complaints at all.

secondly, that could be one of the problems, large teaching hospitals, they will have so many junior docs that they dont get to do all the procedures or not as often as those in 'quieter' hospitals.

my misses told me that where she works, i young junior doc had moved from london to lancaster to gain more experience as in london she was competing against to many other junior docs..

[gWaPito]

Hi Pete/London, I just read your post. What we all got to remember is, is could happen to anyone of us, like it has to you. I think we all know, like Joe pointed out, its not the staff, its the cost cutting by successive governments past and now present. Shame on them.

[grahamw48]

True.

They'd rather spend it on nuclear weapons and the EU gravy train. :rolleyes:

Meningitus is something I do think of when my boy occasionally feels under the weather with no obvious cause, now that he's gone on to college and is mixing with a wider range of people.

I know it's paranoid, but better safe than sorry.

[Pete/London]

Agreed mate, the health service has been a political football for generations and the allocated money being spent many times in the wrong places.

[Doc Alan]

I sympathise fully with those of you - or your loved ones - who have not received the best treatment under the NHS. Politics of the NHS, and the planned breakneck reforms are a whole different thread ! Many experts - and the GP's themselves for whom the poisoned chalice of commissioning health services is to be given - are unhappy with the proposals in the Health Bill.
Most of us just want to do a good job - treating patients - or in my case making the diagnoses to allow the right treatment.
Thank God I'm retired, I enjoy keeping up to date with medicine and giving advice here when asked !
I may not "go down a storm at parties" Gwaps, but a number of members heard me doing karaoke after Steve and Emma's wedding :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[sars_notd_virus]

The treatment IS straightforward ! It's making the correct diagnosis and identifying the "bug" causing the meningitis which is difficult.


I'm sorry Doc ,but its not a ''straightforward'' treatment that I've experienced with the NHS and reading the article,, ..''the baby is sent home by the medics 30mins saying her fever and sickness were caused by a viral infection.''...something must be really wrong somewhere??

[sars_notd_virus]

Politics of the NHS, and the planned breakneck reforms are a whole different thread ! Many experts - and the GP's themselves for whom the poisoned chalice of commissioning health services is to be given - are unhappy with the proposals in the Health Bill.



..this answered my question above

[malditako]

as a mother i cant help not to worry...as for my experience medical staff here in UK has a different approach ( should i say SOP) in dealing with patients. when we brought nathan in the hospital due to high fever, chilling and night sweats the doctor says its a viral infection (take note he's on a rush as the clinic was nearly closing)..i was expecting he would give us further explanation about it and some advice if after few days nathan wont get any better...but to my dismay none...

i have read so many cases like that in the newspaper...doctor failed to diagnosed..died from swine flu after being sent home from the hospital etc...cant they just do some lab check before sending patients home?

oh dear should i not be worried?...

[Doc Alan]

i have read so many cases like that in the newspaper...doctor failed to diagnosed..died from swine flu after being sent home from the hospital etc...cant they just do some lab check before sending patients home?
oh dear should i not be worried?...
There is, of course, no reason why I should attempt to defend or even explain the actions of doctors and other health care professionals in every case which reaches the newspapers, or every situation where a forum member is worried. Obviously I don't know all the facts in any one situation.
It's natural for parents to be worried about their kids at ANY age. Where I can possibly help is to explain illnesses without too much detail or medical jargon. It seems to me that communication is often lacking between the patient / or parents and the health care professionals and that leads to misunderstanding and unnecessary worry.
Doing "some lab check before sending patients home" is not always possible. To test blood or CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) for "bugs" requires culture which takes a day or two. If meningitis is strongly suspected, the best antibiotic should be given before the results are available. As I've tried to explain, reaching the correct diagnosis - and deciding which patients to admit to hospital -is the hard bit.
All is NOT well with the NHS. The reforms planned, handing control of budgets to GPs, abolishing Primary Care Trusts, and at the same time trying to make £20 billion (1,380 billion pesos) of savings MIGHT produce improvements, but many experts disagree.
You do right to worry, but I still prefer our NHS to the Philippines health service.

[joebloggs]

as a mother i cant help not to worry...as for my experience medical staff here in UK has a different approach ( should i say SOP) in dealing with patients.
i have read so many cases like that in the newspaper...doctor failed to diagnosed..died from swine flu after being sent home from the hospital etc...cant they just do some lab check before sending patients home?

oh dear should i not be worried?...

yes there is a different approach becuase in the phils the patient does what the doc says, while in the UK how you deal and speak to the patient is more important

bad news sells papers, how many stories do you read a day about doctors who failed to diagnose ? there are about 170,000 doctors in the uk, if each doctor :censored: up once a year that would be nearly 500 news paper stories aday..

swine flu, i think most people who die from swine flu are already ill.

no you shouldnt be that worried, stop reading the news papers :rolleyes:

[les_taxi]

yes there is a different approach becuase in the phils the patient does what the doc says, while in the UK how you deal and speak to the patient is more important

bad news sells papers, how many stories do you read a day about doctors who failed to diagnose ? there are about 170,000 doctors in the uk, if each doctor :censored: up once a year that would be nearly 500 news paper stories aday..

swine flu, i think most people who die from swine flu are already ill.

no you shouldnt be that worried, stop reading the news papers :rolleyes:

Yes I agree with you,things like this are tragic but have always happened and always will unfortunately.
You don't get to hear of the thousands of correct decisions everyday just the cock-ups.
For every plane crash tens of thousands don't crash:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Doc Alan]

For 35 years I worked in hospital laboratories doing "lab tests" - not for meningitis but for cancers and other conditions. That's roughly 100,000 microscope examinations. The accepted minimum error rate is 2%. So 2000 diagnoses were wrong in my working lifetime. Should I have been on the front page of "The Sun" newspaper ? it wouldn't have been for the 98,000 correct cases :NoNo: