Permanent brain injury following early extubation after ventilation

Paul was admitted to hospital for surgery for heart disease. He was put on a ventilator to help him breathe overnight in the Intensive Care Unit following surgery. The following morning the ventilator was removed but Paul’s condition rapidly deteriorated resulting in a cardiac arrest. He was re-intubated and ventilated but tragically it was discovered that Paul had suffered a serious brain injury because of a lack of oxygen to his brain. 

Our Approach 

During our legal investigation, it became apparent to our head injury solicitors that a decision to extubate and take Paul off the ventilator had been made by a junior anaesthetist without proper assessment of the risks. Problems with the ventilation equipment for Paul were also discovered. A fault with a humidifier caused secretions to build up that blocked Paul’s airway. When he was extubated and taken off the ventilator his blocked airway prevented him for breathing properly which caused the catastrophic cardiac arrest which led to Paul suffering an avoidable brain injury. 

The claim was vigorously defended by the Hospital but our specialist brain injury compensation lawyers were able to secure a multi million pound settlement for Paul to allow him to live in an adapted property along with assistance from carers and therapists. 

Note: Our client’s name has been changed to protect his confidentiality.