Mum died after surgeons twice refused to operate on her because she had NITS

A doctor said it was "less than ideal" to treat pancreatitis patient Lindsay Swanson, 34, while she was suffering from head lice, an inquest heard

Fears: Doctors said operating while Lindsay had head lice risked her getting an infection

A mum-of-three died after medics cancelled two vital operations because she was suffering NITS, an inquest has heard.

Lindsay Swanson, 34, had been diagnosed with acute pancreatitis caused by gall stones and was told she would have them removed within six weeks, a court heard.

But surgeons twice refused to carry out the operation because Lindsay was suffering head lice.

Dr Clare Brown, who was a senior surgeon at Leicester General Hospital in 2013, said: "It is less than ideal to operate on somebody with severe lice infestation."

She said that the condition could lead to the scalp of the patient having microscopic lacerations from scratching which could lead to infection.

Lindsay's distraught partner Lee Dunning told the inquest: "The doctors told us they were not going to operate because Lindsay had head lice.

"She was very upset."

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Cancelled: Operations at Leicester General Hospital were twice put off

"We went home. I treated her hair and it started to fall out. She was not well at all and going downhill slowly."

Assistant coroner Lydia Brown heard that that Lindsay was admitted to Leicester General Hospital with severe abdominal pains in October 2012.

Mr Dunning said it was not until February 2013 - by which point Lindsay's weight had dropped by more than eight stone - that his partner went to the hospital ahead of surgery due the day after.

Dr Yazdiwe, who worked in the pre-operative assessment unit, said Ms Swanson was not having the surgery as she had head lice and they had concerns over her faster than normal heart beat.

She said they wanted to discuss the matter with Lindsay's GP but that she refused to give them permission.

On April 1, Lindsay was taken to hospital by ambulance and tragically died on June 6.

Pathologist Lawrence Brown found the cause of death as multi-organ failure caused by pancreatitis - an inflammation of the pancreas.

Flickr/Gilles San Martin

 

The inquest also heard from Matthew Metcalf, a consultant gall bladder surgeon at Leicester General Hospital, who said Lindsay was one of the 20 percent of people in the high risk category who suffer severe pancreatitis.

He said: "Half of those 20 percent die and she was one of those.

"I don't think there was anything that could have been done that would have affected the outcome."

He said it was the correct procedure for the hospital to have kept Lindsay in for a week after she was admitted with abdominal pains back in October 2012.

She was treated for pain and after a scan showed she had gall stones, she was given painkillers and discharged.

Metcalf said that there was no cure for severe pancreatitis and all that could be done in cases like Lindsay's is help them be comfortable and as pain-free as possible.

The hearing continues today.