St Vincent's University Hospital has apologised in the High Court to the family of a 76-year-old Roscommon woman who died after losing 17 litres of blood during surgery. The very complex and major Whipple surgery, the High Court heard was carried out on mother of six, Freda Fox by two trainee surgeons at the Dublin hospital.
The apology was read out in court as the six Fox children settled for €200,000 a High Court action over her death six years ago. The family's counsel Doireann O'Mahony BL told the court that the Castlerea woman believed she was "in the best hands" for the pancreatic surgery which is carried out in cases of suspected cancer to extend life and give back a quality of life.
Counsel said there were complications in the first hour of the five-hour surgery and panic ensued. She said there was " a surgical catastrophe nobody was prepared for" and Mrs Fox lost 17 litres of blood.
A bleed in a vein was identified and repaired but Mrs Fox went into cardiac arrest. Counsel said the surgery was abandoned after four hours and Mrs Fox was transferred to ICU where she later died.
The settlement is without an admission of liability. In the apology read to the court, St Vincent's University Hospital said it would like to offer sincere apologies to Mrs Fox's family "for the events that occurred on September 1, 2017 related to the unexpected death "after the Whipple surgery.
Outside court, Paula Fox spoke on behalf of the family and said their mother was so proud to be so as fit and healthy as she was. Asked what the apology from the hospital meant to the family, Ms Fox said: "To be honest it doesn't mean anything to us. We have lost our mother."
