Inquest finds death was 'preventable and avoidable'

The decease of a diligent astatine the Causeway Hospital was "preventable and avoidable", a coroner has ruled.

Christopher Trolan from Ballymoney died aft unit failed to springiness him a capable level of antibiotics to guarantee helium recovered aft falling sick successful November 2019.

The coroner Louisa Fee said determination had been aggregate missed opportunities and failings successful his care, and if helium had been treated adequately the 37-year-old would person survived.

Following archetypal treatment, it seemed that his information was improving and determination was a content that medicine had been working, the inquest heard.

However, 2 weeks aft helium was admitted, Mr Trolan's information deteriorated and helium experienced somesthesia spikes and a accelerated bosom rate.

The begetter of 2 was fixed caller medication, but the coroner recovered determination had been "undertreatment" with antibiotics which were not capable to termination disconnected bacteria successful a clot connected his heart.

The coroner said the nonaccomplishment to place this mistake successful Mr Trolan's medicine was not entered into his records, describing this arsenic "striking".

She said unit were alert of the mistake and it should person been discussed with the diligent himself and with his family, but it was not. She said Mr Trolan's information was not decently reviewed by unit astatine the Causeway Hospital.

In a connection pursuing the verdict, the Northern Health Trust said: "We connection our sincere condolences to Mr Trolan's household and apologise unreservedly for the failings successful attraction that person been highlighted.

"We afloat judge the coroner's findings and volition instrumentality clip to bespeak connected the learning.

"The Trust has already undertaken an probe into Mr Trolan's attraction and identified learning which has been shared with staff. This is simply a precise tragic situation, and we are profoundly atrocious for the family's symptom and loss."

Speaking extracurricular court, Mr Trolan's sister Laura said his nonaccomplishment had been devastating for the family.

"In peculiar for his woman and 2 young sons, who were aged conscionable 2 years aged and 13 weeks aged astatine the time," she said.

"Although today's verdict brings closure connected what has been a prolonged and highly hard five-year reappraisal of Christopher's care, it confirms what we, his family, person ever believed.

"That is, that Christopher's decease is highly apt to person been avoided had Causeway Hospital provided the due treatment."

She said "significant errors" made by the infirmary and the information these were undetected for specified a agelong play of clip were are "evidence of substandard attraction and systemic failure".

"We tin lone anticipation that lessons are learned from Christopher's decease truthful that different families bash not person to spell done what we have," she added.