Surgeon blunder leads to death

After damaging the artery, colo-rectal surgeon Neil Borley tied it off and was satisfied the bleeding had stopped before he brought the operation to an end.

But, undetected by doctors caring for him at Cheltenham General Hospital, Mr St Leger-White, of Evendene Road, Evesham, began to suffer internal bleeding.

The cause of his declining condition was not realised until too late and he died soon after being taken back into the operating theatre three days after the initial surgery, the Gloucester inquest was told.

The inquest Mr St Leger-White had had Crohn's Disease for 40 years and in 2006 his condition had become so bad that surgery to remove his large bowel was advised.

Mr Borley said at end of the procedure he fitted two drains to the left abdominal wall so fluid could escape.

To puncture the abdominal wall he used a trochar - a sharp needle-like instrument which fed the drainage pipes through.

Mr Borley said he noticed blood oozing from the area so he removed the drains and re-inserted them on the other side of the abdomen.

"I thought that by chance the trochar had cut or divided an artery," he said. "I thought it was safer to take the drains out, put a stitch around the artery and get it to stop bleeding, which it did."

He said he did a 'figure of eight' stitch to ensure the artery was tied off. He waited five minutes to ensure there was no more bleeding before completing the operation.

"I was confident in my own mind that we had stopped the bleeding," he said.

Two days later a registrar went to see, Mr St Leger-White, who has been receiving regular blood transfusions, as his condition was worsening. Mr Borley saw the patient with an intensive care consultant.

That evening they operated on him and the internal bleeding was discovered. He died soon afterwards.

Gloucestershire coroner Alan Crickmore recorded a verdict of accidental death.