The fiancee of an Aberdeen man who died in hospital during stroke treatment said her concerns about his worsening condition were dismissed by medics.
Holly and Gordon Renfrew had travelled down from Aberdeen to shop for a wedding dress in Staffordshire when he suffered a severe stroke.
Ms Renfrew said she urged staff at the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham to operate on her partner, 36, but they did not act until it was too late.
On July 13, an inquest concluded he might have survived if the surgery had been carried out earlier.
The health trust that runs QMC has now apologised to Ms Renfrew.
The Aberdeen couple were visiting Ms Renfrew’s family in Branston, Staffordshire, in June 2022.
On June 7, Mr Renfrew, a software engineer who was known to his loved ones as Rene, was taken to hospital where he had surgery to remove a blood clot but he remained very ill.
He underwent surgery to reduce pressure caused by brain swelling but four days later he died.
Coroner rules surgery could have led to Gordon Renfrew surviving
Nottingham coroner Dr Elizabeth Didcock, who carried out the inquest into Mr Renfrew’s death, said the QMC’s stroke team had not understood or followed National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
The guideline should have triggered discussions with his family on June 8 and 9 about the craniectomy he needed.
The coroner said: “Had this occurred it is very likely that the procedure would have been performed at an earlier time, although it is not possible to say, on a balance of probability, that this would have led to Gordon surviving what was a very severe and extensive stroke.”
Dr Didcock also found QMC’s stroke team and neurosurgery team had not communicated well enough about Mr Renfrew’s treatment and warned more patients could die if the problems were not solved.
The Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust now has until August 31 to set out actions it will take to address the issues raised.
‘I sat with him, I read to him’
Following the report, Ms Renfrew has spoken to the BBC about her fiance.
She said he was moved to the stroke ward between his operation but that he should have been kept under closer observation in ICU.
“I stayed with him in the hospital, I sat with him, I read to him and talked to him”, she said.
“I’d been told to look out for certain signs, like him drifting off more frequently when I was talking to him or when his monitoring checks were being performed.”
She said he deteriorated on June 9 and she immediately alerted staff, but the surgery did not happen until the next day.
“I told a doctor I thought he was getting worse but my concerns were dismissed,” she said.
“He said I was emotional and he was professional and that they were monitoring him.
Gordon Renfrew was a ‘kind, fun-loving and driven person’
“I was shocked that he came out with that. Aside from the fact he was insulting, he was wrong.”
“Gordon was a kind, fun-loving and driven person. He had a great zest for life and a caring, generous and cheerful nature.
“He was always thinking of others, always putting me first.
“Even in the hospital following his stroke and surgery I could see him trying not to worry me. Seeing how he acted with absolute selflessness, love and bravery in such a time filled me with complete awe and is testament to the man he was.
“Nothing will bring Rene back, but I don’t want the same issues to be repeated and for someone else to lose their life as a result.
“I’m grateful that the coroner produced a prevention of future deaths report and hope this brings about the changes required.”
The medical director of NUH Keith Girling said: “The trust continues to reflect on Mr Renfrew’s care and we would like to apologise to Holly if she did not feel she was listened to when raising her concerns.
“We do acknowledge that there were missed opportunities for earlier consideration of decompressive craniectomy as per national stroke guidance and whilst the coroner could not determine that this would have prevented Mr Renfrew sadly passing away, we are very sorry for this.”
