Family of woman (83) who died in Galway hospital settle High Court action

High Court Reporters

The family of an 83-year-old woman who died at University Hospital Galway after it was claimed a PEG feeding tube became lodged in the wall of her stomach has settled a High Court action over her death.

Ann Duggan, the High Court heard, was a mother of six children and a grandmother to 14 who died on November 12th, 2018.

The family’s counsel, Doireann O’Mahony BL instructed by Callan Tansey solicitors, said it was a profoundly sad case.

She said it was their case that a feeding tube had allegedly been malpositioned and there was a perforation of her stomach . Mrs Duggan developed peritonitis.

Counsel said it was in clinical terms an alleged “small mistake with enormous consequences.”

The settlement against the HSE is without an admission of liability. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

Outside court her daughter Aileen Dennison said her family had been making a plan to bring their mother,who was a kind and wonderful person home from hospital but she deteriorated quickly .

“We had to sit by her bedside to watch her suffer for four days. No family or person should have to go through that”, she said.

She said the settlement gave the family closure but “you never get over something like this.”

The Duggan family of Claremorris, Co Mayo, had sued the HSE over the death of Mrs Duggan in 2018.

Mrs Duggan attended University Hospital Galway on September 6th, 2018, with a six month history of swallowing difficulty. She was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia.

She had a background history of Parkinson’s disease.

It was claimed a PEG feeding tube was placed on September 24th.

It was claimed the PEG feeding tube became dislodged on November 11th, 2018, and was reinserted the next day.

Mrs Duggan’s condition deteriorated. A CT scan of the abdomen showed the PEG tube was lodged in the wall of the stomach..

In view of Mrs Duggan’s overall condition, a decision was made not to proceed with surgical intervention and Mrs Duggan was treated palliatively.

She died on November 16th, 2018. It was claimed that the Duggan family were devastated by their loss. Their grief had been exacerbated by the knowledge that they could have had more years with Ann and that she had died before her time.

Mr Justice Paul Coffey noted the settlement and the division of statutory mental distress €35,000 solatium payment.