Mum dies waiting almost three hours for ambulance after medic mistakes deadly ectopic pregnancy for appendicitis
Gail Bailey was on holiday in Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire, with her husband Ryabn when she died from an ectopic pregnancy.
The inquest heard Mr Bailey called 999 after his wife was struck with abdominal pains, but the ambulance was rerouted to a patient who had a wasp stuck in their throat.
An acting clinician then downgraded Mrs Bailey's case on the assumption she was suffering with appendicitis, the hearing at Lincoln Cathedral Centre was told.
It took a further two hours and 44 minutes for paramedics to arrive only to discover the nine-week pregnant woman had been misdiagnosed, Lincolnshire Live reports.
She was rushed to Boston Pilgrim Hospital but died from an ectopic pregnancy, a rare complication which happens when a fertilised egg attaches itself to a cavity outside of the womb.
Speaking at an inquest, acting clinician Susan Jevons said: “I was thinking more along the lines of appendicitis than ectopic pregnancy.
"My understanding was from the information I had is that ectopic pregnancy happens between one and six weeks. It is not usually the sudden onset of pain.
“Mrs Bailey had got right-sided abdominal pain that was going into the groin which is very strong signs of appendicitis.”
The hearing was told that Mr Bailey called for paramedics at around 5pm on August 6, 2017, and the case was identified as a category two emergency call.
An ambulance was dispatched but then diverted elsewhere after reports of a wasp in someone's throat.
Ms Jevons then called Mr Bailey and after running through his wife’s symptoms, she downgraded the case to category three.
It meant they believed she was healthy enough to wait up to two hours for help.
Mr Bailey then called again at 6.39pm to say his wife was drifting in and out of consciousness.
What is an ectopic pregnancy and what are the symptoms?
An ectopic pregnancy happens when a fertilised egg attaches itself to a cavity outside of the uterus (womb).
Most of the time this is on the fallopian tubes, but this can also happen on the ovaries, the cervix (neck to the womb) or another organ inside the pelvis.
The pregnancy can’t be saved if this occurs, and the egg will be removed in an operation or using medicine.
It affects one in every 80 – 90 pregnancies.
Often there are no symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy, and it is usually detected when a mother goes for a routine pregnancy scan.
Symptoms can include:
- Vaginal bleeding
- Brown watery discharge
- Pain in your lower abdomen down one side
- Missed period
- Discomfort when going to the bathroom
- Pain in the tip of your shoulder
At this point, her case was upgraded to a category two emergency – but an ambulance did not then arrive for more than an hour.
The inquest heard the service aims to attend category two emergencies within 18 minutes.
A post mortem concluded that Mrs Taylor died as a result of hemoperitoneum, which was a consequence of her ectopic pregnancy.
Speaking ahead of the hearing, Mr Taylor said: “There’s not a day goes by that I don’t miss Gail.
"She was such a loving and caring wife and I still don’t really believe she has gone.
“The last 16 months have been incredibly hard."
The inquest continues.
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