INQUEST: Why woman died days after being discharged

THE SURGEON who operated on Gwendolin Mead has told a coroner's inquest into the Oakey woman's death that her five-year survival rate after surgery was low.

THE SURGEON who operated on Gwendolin Mead has told a coroner's inquest into the Oakey woman's death that her five-year survival rate after surgery was low due to the extent of her bowel cancer.

The inquest heard Mrs Mead had received chemotherapy and radiotherapy prior to surgery in an attempt to shrink the two cancer tumours she was battling.

Dr Richard Benny, who performed the surgery on Mrs Mead, said it had always been the plan that the surgery was to cure Mrs Mead's cancer and that had remained the plan after he found the extent of the cancer during the operation.

However, answering questions put by Mrs Mead's husband John Mead through counsel assisting the coroner Melinda Zerner, Dr Benny said Mrs Mead's five-year survival rate, which had been less than 50%, appeared about 30% post surgery due to the extent of the cancer and other factors.

Mrs Mead, 73, died in the early morning of March 1, 2015, just four days after being discharged from the Intensive Care Unit at Toowoomba Hospital following her surgery.

Dr Benny told the inquest he had examined Mrs Mead hours before her operation and it appeared to him she had a malignant bowel obstruction.

"My clinical judgment was she needed surgery," he said.

He said he had not at that time seen the results of a CT scan taken earlier which showed the obstruction and which may have changed his approach to the treatment in that he may have operated earlier.

Although, he said the time of the operation was within acceptable time lines.

Coroner Ainslee Kirkegaard has been tasked to examine various aspects of Mrs Mead's medical care and discharge from the hospital including:

• The adequacy of the multidisciplinary team approach to her care;
• The appropriateness of the surgical decision making;
• The adequacy of the pre-operative assessment and planning of her care;
• The appropriateness of her discharge from the ICU,
• Whether aspects of her clinical management reflect broader system failures and if so, what system changes could be made to minimise the risk of adverse health outcomes in the future.

The inquest will continue next week in Brisbane with findings expected to be released later this year.

Originally published as INQUEST: Why woman died days after being discharged