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Case ref:201807306
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Date:August 2019
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Body:Lanarkshire NHS Board
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Sector:Health
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Outcome:Not upheld, no recommendations
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Subject:clinical treatment / diagnosis
Summary
Ms C complained about the care and treatment that her mother (Ms A) received at University Hospital Hairmyres. Ms A attended the hospital with back and chest pain, and her blood count was found to be low. The cause of Ms A's low blood count was suspected to be an internal bleed. Ms C was concerned about the investigations carried out to identify the cause of Ms A's low blood count and that Ms A was discharged home without a final diagnosis.
We took independent advice from a consultant hepatologist (specialist treating the liver, gallbladder and pancreas) & gastroenterologist (treatment of the stomach and intestines). We found that the clinical approach used to identify the source of Ms A's bleeding was reasonable. In particular, plans were made for Ms A to have an endoscopy (procedure using an instrument to give a view of the body's internal parts) and a colonoscopy (procedure where a flexible fibre-optic instrument is inserted through the anus in order to examine the colon) on an
out-patient basis. We found that it was reasonable for the board to discharge Ms A and that it would not have been possible for the board to make a final diagnosis during Ms A's admission. We did not uphold Ms C's complaint.