Salford Royal Hospital failures in 22-year-old's death

Firth Lord, 22, of Martin Street, Turton, died in Salford Royal Hospital on December 18, 2019.

His family paid tribute to him, remembering him as a "loving and much-loved son, brother and friend."

They said: "He was only 22 years old when he died in Salford, his future was taken away.

"A keen rugby player, boxing and keep fit enthusiast, his aspirations were to join the Marines and to lead a full and fulfilling life.

"This was taken away, leaving his parents and sisters with a continuous and devastating loss."

Mr Lord had been admitted to the hospital for hydrocephalus – or water on the brain. 

He had attended A&E after suffering from headaches, neck pain, vomiting, drowsiness, photophobia, diplopia and vertigo, which got particularly worse in the two days before being admitted.

He was fitted with an external ventricular drain (EVD) to drain the fluid from his brain in an emergency operation shortly after 3am on November 28.

An inquest into Mr Lord’s death partially concluded on Monday (May 12) at Bolton Coroner’s Court.

The EVD was left in a closed position for around four hours, between 5am and 9am on November 28, 2019.

Coroner Peter Sigee said nurses checked the EVD on an hourly basis and that between the hours of 7am and 8am no fluid had drained.

Salford Royal Hospital (Image: Google Maps) However, the nurses believed they did not need to check the EVD or escalate the case to a neurologist as long as his “clinical signs were fine”.

Mr Sigee said there was a “lack of training” and the nurses in the neurological ward didn’t recognise the EVD was closed and it was necessary to escalate Mr Lord for an urgent neurological review.

Mr Lord was successfully resuscitated after becoming unresponsive at about 9am when a neurosurgeon observed that the port was closed.

Have a story? Get in touch at eoin.mccaul@newsquest.co.uk

His condition improved after the fluid was drained, and he was placed in the ICU.

However, his condition deteriorated and Mr Lord was found to have suffered “an unsurvivable brain injury”.

The medical cause of Mr Lord’s death was given as a hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury, acute hydrocephalus and a clamped external ventricular drain and B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system.

READ MORE: Tributes to 'deeply loved' Little Hulton dad, 33, after inquest

READ MORE: Farnworth 16-year-old boy's death was a 'tragic medical episode'

READ MORE: Bus tried to overtake 11-year-old cyclist before fatal crash

Mr Sigee said: “Mr Lord would not have died when he did if the external ventricular drain had been managed correctly.

“There was a gross failure to provide basic medical care to Mr Lord while he was in a dependent position, which was a cause of his death.”

He said that Mr Lord's death was ”contributed to by neglect”.

Mr Sigee said this conclusion only covered “phase A” of the inquest, and there will be another hearing looking at Mr Lord’s condition before being admitted.