We recover compensation of one million pounds for negligent management of blood pressure causing a stroke
Medical accident lawyer, Oliver Thorne, has successfully secured a settlement of £1m on behalf of his client in a medical negligence claim arising from a failure to manage his client’s blood pressure, which ultimately resulted in a stroke.
Background to the medical negligence claim
Our client (who for confidentiality reasons we will refer to simply as, Mr B) had suffered with high blood pressure since 2000.
Mr B took Atenolol for four years until he saw another doctor who changed his medication to Lisinopril, however after only 2 weeks, Atenolol needed to be prescribed again as the Lisinopril could not control his blood pressure alone, and he stayed on both medications for a further seven years.
Two years later, Mr B was seen by his doctor as he was feeling lethargic and fatigued. The Losartan was stopped for several weeks so they could investigate if that was the cause of his symptoms. Within two weeks Mr B’s blood pressure increased again, so Losartan was restarted and they agreed to monitor his fatigue. Once Mr B was put back on Losartan it continued to show that his blood pressure was controlled and this continued for a further four years.
Mr B registered with a new GP practice in February 2018 and in October that year he was admitted to hospital with abdominal pain and gastrointestinal bleeding. After tests, diverticulitis and hemorrhoids were discovered.
A year later, Mr B returned to his GP due to ongoing gastrointestinal symptoms. He was taken off Losartan and an ultrasound scan was arranged, which confirmed a diagnosis of gallstones/Cholecystitis. However his blood pressure was not taken and nothing was discussed about restarting Losartan.
Two days later Mr B collapsed at home and was taken to hospital where it was discovered he had suffered a intraparenchymal hemorrhage following a spike in his blood pressure. He remained in hospital for six weeks, and suffered from complete right sided weakness and mobility issues.
The compensation claim for negligent management of blood pressure causing a stroke
Oliver agreed to make a ccompensation claim on Mr B’s behalf, working on a No Win No Fee basis.
He submitted allegations to his client’s GP that the Losartan should not have been stopped in October 2019, and that there was a subequent failure to monitor Mr B’s blood pressure after it had been stopped.
Oliver instructed an expert in stroke medicine who supported the claim, and advised that withholding the medication and failing to monitor Mr B’s blood pressure was the likely cause of his stroke.
We obtained a report on the care, and the aids and equipment that Mr B would now require as a consequence of his stroke. These underlined and detailed the significant challenges facing Mr B, and the level of medical care he would need going forward.
Extensive negotiations took place with the NHS, resulting in an out of court settlement being reached. The settlement package we ultimately agreed on had a value of £1 million.
How our specialist lawyers can help you
If you have been let down by the NHS with the management of your blood pressure then contact us for a free consultation about claiming compensation on a No Win No Fee basis.
Call 0333 888 0412 or email details of your case to us in complete confidence at info@medicalaccidentlawyers.co.uk.
