Doctor accused of failing to detect a heart attack in patient

A DOCTOR has been accused of failing to diagnose a heart attack in a man who came to him with chest pains when he was on duty at an out-of-hours GP service in the south.

Dr Eugene Erazamus, a South African physician, was the doctor on call at SouthDoc in Cork over the May Bank holiday last year when British tourist James Taylor attended its Skibbereen centre.

Dr Erazamus has been brought before the Irish Medical Council’s (IMC) Fitness to Practice committee to answer allegations of poor professional performance, including one of failing to adequately examine Mr Taylor.

Dr Erazamus denies the allegations and has claimed that Mr Taylor ignored his advice to go to a hospital in Cork. The doctor said he found Mr Taylor’s blood pressure was high and gave him a prescription.

Mr Taylor (62) from Nottingham was on holiday in Glandore, when he became ill.

Mr Simon Mills, barrister for the IMC, said Dr Erazamus, worked two night shifts over the May bank holiday weekend for SouthDoc.

Mr Mills said Mr Taylor telephoned SouthDoc on May 4 complaining of chest pains and pointing out that he has a history of a heart attack in 1997.

Mr Taylor then attended SouthDoc’s Skibbereen treatment centre where he saw Dr Erazamus.

The doctor concluded that Taylor had not suffered an acute cardiac event. His diagnosis was that Mr Taylor had a chest problem and/or a blood pressure problem and gave him a prescription for drugs to lower his blood pressure.

Mr Taylor, who claimed that he was never advised by the doctor to attend a hospital in Cork, complained about his treatment in a letter to SouthDoc in July 2009 that was later embodied in the form of a complaint to the IMC last November.

Dr Erazamus later claimed he did consider that Mr Taylor may have been suffering a heart attack but there was no Electrocardiograph (ECG) machine available in the centre or in the car used by doctors on call, which is why he advised Mr Taylor to attend the nearest hospital.

SouthDoc medical director Dr Gary Stack claimed that the centres and cars all had ECG machines. The driver on call that night, John O’Connor, also claimed that the machines were available.

Dr Erazamus had also claimed that he did not see Mr Taylor but evidence was later produced of a receipt for payment for the consultation and the doctor conceded that he had seen him.

The doctor claimed he had advised that Mr Taylor should go to hospital and undergo and ECG test but that Mr Taylor refused his advice.

Mr Taylor, who returned to Nottingham the same day he was seen by Dr Erazamus said the fact the doctor blamed high blood pressure for the pain came as a relief.

He said he still wanted to get himself checked over so the day after he returned home he called his GP who arranged for an emergency appointment.

Mr Taylor said his doctor took an ECG reading and checked his blood pressure and concluded that he had suffered a heart attack.

A blood test revealed a high level of enzymes, indicating a coronary incident.

The hearing has adjourned until today.