Mother died at Watford General Hospital after tube blunder

Emma Currell, 32, had been rushed to Watford General Hospital when she suffered a seizure in an ambulance taking her home from dialysis treatment.

The inquest in Hatfield heard that Emma, who lived with nephrotic syndrome, suffered a second seizure as she waited to be seen in Accident and Emergency.

An anaesthetic team was called to sedate her as her tongue swelled and she bled from the mouth.

A tube that should have been placed in her trachea, the windpipe, to allow her to breathe was mistakenly placed in her oesophagus, the food pipe.

Emma Currell died after the incident at Watford General Hospital. (Image: South Bedfordshire News Agency)

The mother of a six-year-old child, who lived in Hatfield, went into cardiac arrest and died that night on September 5, 2020.

Dr Sabu Syed, who was a trainee anaesthetist, told the hearing: “Initially the tongue was incredibly swollen and a lot of blood was coming from the mouth. I used suction to remove blood and I was able to push the tongue to the side and got a partial view.”

She said she believed she inserted the tube into the trachea, but now knows it was the oesophagus.

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Dr Syed said she asked her senior colleague Dr Prasun Mukherjee to check the position of the tube.

“Dr Mukhejee was busy doing other tasks. I had a look myself. Unfortunately her tongue was more swollen.”

Emma Currell. (Image: South Bedfordshire News Agency)

Technician Nicholas Healey said he tested the machinery when there was no carbon dioxide reading.

He said: “There was nothing to indicate a leak in the machine. I was not confident the tube was in the right place. I escalated that to the team.

“A couple of doctors listened to her chest and they were confident there was a reaction.”

He said that both he and Dr Syed had raised concerns about the tube being in the wrong place.

Dr Mukherjee told the hearing: “I had confidence in my colleague that the tube was appropriately placed.“

The inquest was heard at Hertfordshire Coroners' Court. (Image: South Bedfordshire News Agency)

Graham Danbury, the deputy coroner for Hertfordshire, asked him: “Did you, with greater experience, consider that you should have done the administration?“

He replied: “It is difficult.”  He said younger colleagues needed to gain more experience.

Dr Mukherjee said he still detected breathing after the tube was inserted and had assumed the machine readings had malfunctioned and there was a problem with the monitor.

He said he was also concerned about the risks of removing the tube and the danger of surgery.

Watford General Hospital. (Image: South Bedfordshire News Agency)

Asked if it had crossed his mind to summon a more senior colleague, he said: “I probably did not have enough time to ask for external help.”

He said: “Retrospectively and with hindsight we know the tube was in the wrong place.“

He agreed he had made the wrong decision, saying that at the time they were dealing with the Covid pandemic.