Sibongile Mashaba
Sibongile Mashaba
Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital says 61-year-old Patrick Nkosi, whose left leg was amputated, suffered two heart "stoppages" during surgery.
Nkosi was admitted to the hospital on February 8 with an abdominal abscess and died a day later.
His family had signed concession forms for an operation to have the abscess removed.
The family is still seeking answers to what caused his death and why he had a gaping hole in his stomach when they saw his body at the mortuary.
The hospital's chief executive Dr Arthur Manning said: "The patient had an operation for a condition that required an amputation of the limb to try to save his life. He had a severe infection of the soft tissue of the lower limb. The hole in the stomach is the place where the amputation was performed.
"The patient was critically ill and had two heart stoppages while in theatre. And because he was critically ill, it was not possible to properly construct a skin flap to close the hole."
He said reconstruction would have taken place at another time.
"The patient unfortunately died. A postmortem was required. The body was not adequately prepared after the postmortem was done.
"The family thus saw the body in a state which distressed them," said Manning.
Amputee had 'stoppages'
Sibongile Mashaba
Sibongile Mashaba
Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital says 61-year-old Patrick Nkosi, whose left leg was amputated, suffered two heart "stoppages" during surgery.
Nkosi was admitted to the hospital on February 8 with an abdominal abscess and died a day later.
His family had signed concession forms for an operation to have the abscess removed.
The family is still seeking answers to what caused his death and why he had a gaping hole in his stomach when they saw his body at the mortuary.
The hospital's chief executive Dr Arthur Manning said: "The patient had an operation for a condition that required an amputation of the limb to try to save his life. He had a severe infection of the soft tissue of the lower limb. The hole in the stomach is the place where the amputation was performed.
"The patient was critically ill and had two heart stoppages while in theatre. And because he was critically ill, it was not possible to properly construct a skin flap to close the hole."
He said reconstruction would have taken place at another time.
"The patient unfortunately died. A postmortem was required. The body was not adequately prepared after the postmortem was done.
"The family thus saw the body in a state which distressed them," said Manning.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos