A U.K. coroner has said a shortage of radiologists was "a root cause" of the death of a patient from an undiagnosed coronary artery tear, according to a 12 June BBC report.
Mark Villers, a 42-year-old mortgage advisor, died three days after he sought help for an unidentified tear in his aorta at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, on 21 May 2024. Abnormalities that were visible on a CT scan went unrecognized, the BBC article stated.
The coroner's report noted that the patient initially went to the hospital with severe chest pain and was initially assessed by medics as a digestive condition. His CT scan was reported as showing no abnormalities but a review later revealed it had shown problems that, if spotted, would have led to further tests and his life could have been saved.
On 20 May, Villers returned to the hospital and it was thought he had infected gallstones. He stayed overnight and no concerns were noted but he was found collapsed the next morning and could not be resuscitated. A postmortem exam confirmed the tear in the aorta caused his death, the BBC reported.
The coroner, Louise Hunt, said the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust investigated and found there were "insufficient radiologists to report the large number of CT scans undertaken over the weekend period" at the time Villers went to hospital. She said this was "one of the root causes of the very subtle abnormality indicating aortic dissection being missed."
She also said that while staffing has improved at the hospital since then, more workers are needed for the hospital to be in accordance with Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) guidelines, according to the BBC article.
RCR President Dr. Kath Halliday said: "The 29% shortfall of radiologists across the U.K., equivalent to almost 2,000 fewer radiologists than we need, is a critical concern for patient safety."
A spokesman for the NHS Trust said it was committed to continually reviewing its staffing levels to maximize safety.
The full BBC article can be read here. You can download the coroner's report at: judiciary.uk/prevention-of-future-death-reports/mark-villers-prevention-of-future-deaths-report/.
