Coroner’s call for catheter guidelines

A CORONER has called for guidelines to be introduced across the Pennine Acute Trust after a man died following complications from several attempts insert a catheter.

Oldham coroner Simon Nelson is to write to the trust asking for simpler instructions for staff required to install a “suprapubic” catheter, which is inserted through the abdomen.

The move follows the death of grandfather Derek Brierley (86) from Milnrow last year. An inquest yesterday heard how Mr Brierley had a catheter fitted in January, which his wife noticed wasn’t working one morning in July.

A district nurse couldn’t reinsert the tube and neither could accident and emergency staff in three more attempts at the Royal Oldham Hospital. Mr Brierley was distressed and in discomfort so emergency medicine consultant Mohammed Zahir attempted to use a suprapubic catheter, also unsuccessfully. Mr Zahir explained that in nine previous use of such a catheter - the last a year before - he had always been successful.

Mr Zahir confirmed he would make the same clinical decision again, but accepted that a year between procedures without training was too great a time.

The inquest was also told how there was difficulty locating that particular type of catheter on the department, and how there were no set trust guidelines on how to carry out the procedure.

Mr Brierley was transferred to North Manchester in the early hours of the following day where his condition deteriorated. Over the next couple of weeks he improved and deteriorated several times. He died on August 9.

Coroner Simon Nelson concluded that Mr Brierley died following a rare complication of the procedure.

He said: “I remain concerned as to the absence of specific guidelines. I will write to the trust, to improve the situation for patients who may present in the same way as Mr Brierley.”