Woman told husband his life support would be ended

THE heartbroken wife of a man who suffered complications following an operation had to break the devastating news to her “compos mentis” husband that his life-support equipment was going to be switched off.

Retired Garda, Patrick Quinn, 66, of Sandymount, Dublin 4 died at St Vincent’s University Hospital on May 7, 2010, an inquest at Dublin City Coroner’s Court heard. He was in hospital recovering from major surgery to treat a cancerous tumour in the pancreas.

Staff at the hospital told Rosaline Quinn that her husband’s treatment was going to be discontinued.

“I had to tell him they were going to discontinue his treatment, that he was going to die,” Mrs Quinn said. “He started to cry. My husband was fully compos mentis, he knew what was being said to him.”

Mrs Quinn, a qualified nurse, objected to the withdrawal of care but was told by doctors she had no say in the matter, the inquest heard. She asked medical staff to wait until her family arrived at the hospital before switching off his life-support equipment.

The father of five was admitted to St Vincent’s Hospital on February 24 for a Whipple’s procedure to remove a 2.5cm tumour.

A Whipple’s procedure involved removing part of the pancreas and other parts of the digestive organs.

“All we were informed was that it was a serious operation,” Mrs Quinn told the inquest. “We were never informed of the mortality rate or that a risk of bleeding was higher as Patrick was jaundiced at the time of his operation.”

Mr Quinn struggled to recover following the operation. He suffered projectile vomiting, abdominal pains and internal bleeding, followed by multi-organ decompensation.

Consultant surgeon Justin Geoghegan, who performed the operation, said it became apparent to surgeons in early May that Mr Quinn’s prospects of recovery were extremely slim.

The decision to discontinue treatment would have been debated intensely and antagonised over by surgeons, he said, adding that while families are consulted on the matter, ultimately it is a clinical decision.

“I completely understand Mrs Quinn’s anguish at having to tell her husband, it’s a truly, truly horrible thing to do,” he said.

Recording a narrative verdict, Dublin City Coroner Dr Brian Farrell said Mr Quinn developed post-operative issues following the Whipple’s procedure and died of multi-organ failure and possible sepsis.