Despite having experienced a similar reaction earlier in life, a retired detective died from internal bleeding brought on by blood-thinning medication.
On December 24, 2020, at Hull Royal Infirmary (HRI), Andy Kirby, 69, of Hessle, East Yorkshire, passed away.
His death was initially attributed by the hospital to Covid-19, but a coroner has now determined that he passed away due to an "acute and significant gastro-intestinal bleed.".
Managers at the hospital have extended an "unreserved apology" to Mr. Kirby's family.
According to the inquest, Mr. Kirby visited Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham on December 9 for a biopsy after learning that he had lung cancer.
He experienced a pneumothorax during the procedure, which can result in a collapsed lung. He was transported to HRI for treatment and was later released after receiving the blood thinner dalteparin.
On the other hand, he was readmitted on December 20 due to abdominal pain before being identified as having a pulmonary embolism, or blood clot in the lungs, and being given additional blood-thinning medication.
A different doctor restarted the medication on December 23 after it had been stopped by medical personnel who were worried it was causing internal bleeding.
In the early hours of Christmas Eve, Mr. Kirby passed away a few hours later.
He had a similar reaction to Wafarin in 2013, it was revealed during the inquest.
Mr. Kirby's internal bleeding death had "in all probability" been caused by the anticoagulation medication's resumption, Assistant Coroner Ian Sprkes wrote in his narrative verdict.
His widow, Kathy Rowe, claimed that the hospital had "no communication" with her husband's family and that the doctors there were unaware of his medical history in a statement made following the inquest, at which Mr. Kirby's family was represented by Hudgell Solicitors.
She said, "We could have raised questions, highlighting what had transpired when he'd been given them previously.
"What disturbs us is that he passed away by himself, bleeding to death. That has haunted me. ".
Andrea Kirby, Mr. Kirby's daughter, said: "It's still very upsetting because we knew. He would still be alive if that particular doctor hadn't prescribed him anticoagulants. " .
After rejecting the hospital's explanation for his cause of death—which Ms. Rowe called "nonsense"—they demanded a post-mortem examination.
"We knew we couldn't accept Covid being listed on the death certificate when we heard the news.
Because of what Andy did and who he was, it was crucial that we discover the truth. ".
Speaking on behalf of the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, a spokeswoman said: "The Trust is committed to using the lessons from this incident to make sure that it doesn't happen again.
. "
