Widow of physician who died after botched remedy needs higher coaching

The widow of a ‘brilliant’ medical professor who died following botched treatment today called for better training for doctors after a coroner ruled the procedure should never have been performed.

Prof Amit Patel, hailed as one of the brightest doctors of his generation and a pioneer of stem cell transplantation, suffered massive internal bleeding following a procedure for a rare condition that he was a national expert on.

Last week a coroner said the 43-year-old father-of-two’s death was caused by ‘failures in his care’ and his death was ‘avoidable’.

Now his widow Dr Shivani Tanna, herself a GP, has said his tragic loss must be the ‘impetus for huge change in the NHS‘.

Prof Patel, who worked at the NHS’s Christie Hospital cancer hospital in Manchester, specialising in cancer, was an expert in the very condition that killed him.

After his admission to Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester in August 2021, doctors – including Prof Patel himself – made a ‘working diagnosis’ of Still’s disease, an inflammatory illness which was causing a potentially deadly immune reaction called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).

But tragically the following month he suffered catastrophic internal bleeding during a ‘low risk’ biopsy intended to confirm the diagnosis.

During his hospital stay, Prof Patel developed disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) – a serious and rare blood clotting disorder which can cause uncontrollable bleeding.

However medics had not passed this information to an advisory panel which backed performing the endobronchial ultrasound guided biopsy (EBUS) procedure to examine his lungs.

Tragically he never recovered from the loss of blood and died on October 28.

Last week coroner Zak Golombek said the hospital’s failure to provide all the relevant information meant the panel’s recommendations were made using an ‘incomplete clinical picture.’

He said had they been given the full picture, the test would not have gone ahead and Prof Patel would not have died.

Speaking after the hearing, Prof Patel’s widow said that even as a medical professional herself, the only reason she knew so much about HLH was because of his expertise.

‘People say it’s rare, I don’t think it is that rare,’ she said.

‘But I guarantee had Amit not been him, his evolving picture of HLH would never have been picked up, that diagnosis would not have been made and he would have died within the first two weeks of admission.

‘I think we should just be doing better in terms of education, training, medical school, specialist training in hospitals.

‘We need to know more about things like HLH, which we should do because it was a big factor in why people died during Covid.’

The coroner said Prof Patel’s ‘avoidable’ death was a result not of ‘systemic failures, but the failures of individuals’.

Mr Golombek – sitting at Manchester Coroners’ Court – also criticised the hospital’s consent procedure, saying Prof Patel was treated as a colleague by doctors rather than a patient.

Praising Prof Patel’s work, the coroner told gathered friends and family: ‘He was clearly a brilliant man whose legacy will go beyond his academic and professional achievements.

‘I hope in time that the memories you have all shared together will shine brightly beyond this period of time that has been subject to my investigations.’

After battling to expose the truth, Dr Tanna is now fighting for openness and patient safety to be placed at the heart of the NHS.

‘I know what happened because I was there every day with Amit during his hospital admission,’ she said.

‘The coroner found failures to provide basic medical attention to a person in a dependent position. That is enough for me. From the outset, I just wanted the truth to be found. I owe that to Amit.

‘It’s been a really difficult couple of years, and the focus is on my daughters, Amit’s daughters. Throughout his hospital stay, all he could think about was them. I have to make peace with what’s happened. The girls will carry on in his legacy and so will I, in many ways.

‘I’m not giving up – I’m working within the NHS, I will continue to do what I need to do to stand my ground, speak up.

‘I feel for all the whistleblowers who try their best to make change. I would like Amit’s case to be the impetus for huge change in the NHS. He’s always going to be remembered throughout. We will find peace knowing that his death was avoidable.

‘I know he should have been here today. But we can’t go back, we have to go forwards.’

Jane Eddleston, joint group chief medical officer for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, which operates Wythenshawe Hospital, offered the family its ‘condolences and deepest sympathies’.

She added: ‘The trust has undertaken a detailed investigation thoroughly examining the care Professor Patel received when he was with us and has since shared this investigation with Professor Patel’s family and the coroner.

‘We are committed to providing the best care possible for our patients and we must apply the lessons learned from this to our constant work to improve our patients’ safety, quality of care, and experience.’