Angela Meehan’s Husband Died Just Weeks After Sepsis Diagnosis

The widow of a man who died after suffering from sepsis following a hip operation has been speaking to BBC Panorama (11 September 2017) to raise awareness of the deadly disease.

September 13 is World Sepsis Day, an initiative of the Global Sepsis Alliance which aims to raise awareness of sepsis, which is a life threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. Sepsis leads to shock, multiple organ failure and death especially if not recognised early and treated promptly.

Angela Meehan instructed specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the care her 52-year-old husband Desmond received from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust after a hip operation following a fall.

After his operation on 7 November 2015 he was discharged three days later but in the following weeks although the usual recovery period had passed, he could not mobilise properly and was experiencing a lot of pain. He was seen by several doctors over the coming months but it was not until January 2016 that it was spotted that he had an infection. By this time the infection had turned into sepsis, causing his internal organs to shut down and despite emergency surgery he died on 25 January 2016.

At an inquest into his death the cause of death was confirmed as infection/sepsis and Irwin Mitchell’s legal team is currently investigating further. The NHS Trust responsible for his care also carried out its own Serious Incident Investigation Report identifying lessons which could be learned from his death.

Angela said: “Things escalated so quickly. Just under three months after going in for a relatively routine hip operation Desmond was undergoing emergency surgery, spent time in intensive care and had died. We are devastated and want to know what more can be done to prevent sepsis from tearing people’s lives apart.

“Hopefully the BBC Panorama programme and World Sepsis Day will help shed light on the problems caused by this awful disease.”

Expert Opinion

“Angela was obviously devastated by what happened and it just shows the impact that sepsis can have if it is not spotted and treated as soon as possible.

“We are investigating what happened to Desmond and hope that by raising awareness of sepsis and the impact that any delays in diagnosis can have that more can be done to prevent further suffering from this awful disease.” Rebecca Pearey - Associate Solicitor

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in sepsis medical negligence cases.