RAH stroke scandal deepens with Stroke Unit boss told a specialist on call when he was actually on a fishing holiday in Victor Harbor
THE head of the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s Stroke Unit thought a specialist was on call at the time two men died — when he was actually on a fishing holiday in Victor Harbor.
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THE head of the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s Stroke Unit was told a specialist was on call but he was actually more than three hours away on fishing holiday near Victor Harbor when two patients died from strokes.
An inquest is being held into the deaths of two men who died when the RAH’s only specialists accredited to suction brain blood clots from stroke victims were both rostered on holidays.
It was told senior staff thought one specialist was on call.
An exclusive report in The Advertiser revealed the RAH’s only interventional neuro-radiologists (INRs) Dr James Taylor and Dr Rebecca Scroop were on holidays when Michael John Russell, 60, and Leslie Robert Graham, 87, died from stroke in the flagship hospital in April.
Their boss Dr Jim Buckley earlier this week told the hearing the rostering bungle was an ‘error’.
RAH Stroke Unit head Dr Timothy Klenig told the inquest he only leant both specialists would be away at the same time while talking with another staff member in March and “immediately” contacted Dr Scroop.
His understanding from his conversation with Dr Scroop — who was flying to the United States — was that Dr Taylor would be able to ‘scrub in to the procedure and remove the clot’ if called in.
“My understanding of the roster was Dr Taylor was at Victor Harbor and would be able to come in on short notice to perform the procedure on suitable patients,” Dr Klenig said.
However, when Dr Klenig contacted Dr Taylor — who was on holidays — to deal with Mr Graham’s emergency, he was advised Dr Taylor was not on call.
“He was not available, I moved on to try to sort out some other solution,’ Dr Klenig said.
Officials contacted the state’s only other INR, Dr Steve Chryssidis, who came in despite not being accredited to work at the RAH.
He tried to remove Mr Graham’s brain clot without success — Dr Klenig noted Mr Graham would have died anyway if there had been not been an attempt.
“The clot would not come out despite repeated attempts,” he said.”
Mr Graham’s death left staff ‘traumatised’ Dr Klenig said.
An email from him at the time states: “The events of this week have been quite traumatic for all involved and more importantly, patient outcomes so far have been less than ideal.”
Dr Klenig’s emails also state: “The current situation puts SA Health at extreme medicolegal risk and would be indefensible in the media.”
Dr Klenig said he felt the RAH should have had a third INR, as recommended by a review two years earlier, and that demand for the service had ‘exploded’ — another has been hired.
The inquest continues on Monday.