Family of man who died of sepsis after discharge from UHL settle 'extremely long, arduous' case

The High Court heard that University Hospital Limerick and the HSE have previously apologised unreservedly to the family of Michael Cuddihy and admitted failings in his care. Picture: Dan Linehan

The family of a man who died of sepsis days after he was discharged from University Hospital Limerick have settled a High Court action over his death.

Michael Cuddihy, aged 76, had been bought to the Limerick hospital by ambulance when he felt unwell at home and had severe pain on November 20, 2023.

He was on a trolley in UHL A&E, put on a drip and given intravenous painkillers. Later he was told he could go home but asked to stay overnight. That night he had a temperature spike and vomited but was discharged home the next day to Newcastlewest, Limerick.

The family’s counsel, Sara Antoniotti SC instructed by Rachael Liston solicitor, told the court that Mr Cuddihy, a father of three was unwell at home for two days. On November 23, his wife went to wake him in the morning and found he was dead in bed.

Counsel said Mr Cuddihy had died from ”overwhelming sepsis” which was triggered by a gallstone obstruction. She said it was their case that if the appropriate investigations had been carried out the obstruction would have been discovered. Mr Cuddihy, she said, was overtaken by sepsis.

Mr Cuddihy’s death was featured on RTÉ’s Prime Time. His wife, Aine Cuddihy from Portmarnock, Dublin, had sued the HSE. The details of the settlement are confidential.

The High Court heard that UHL and the HSE have previously apologised unreservedly to the family of Michael Cuddihy and admitted failings in his care.

Counsel told the court that the hospital had said it would adopt the recommendations of a review carried out afterwards.

Outside the Four Courts, Mr Cuddihy’s daughter Anne said the settlement was the end of “an extremely long, arduous and painstaking journey but there is no comfort in the fact that my dad is gone.” 

She added: “We can’t bring him back, but we went on this journey because we did not want other families to have to go through what we have had to go through. 

We have watched other families say this before and still people are living this horrible, horrible life.

She said if some good can come from their case it would be fantastic.

“We hope that in some way my dad’s story will be able to help someone else or to save someone else. In that respect, it brings us some level of comfort but we miss my dad tremendously."

She said over two years on they continued to miss Mr Cuddihy and continue to mourn him, but also we will continue to celebrate his life “because he was the most amazing person who ever lived”. 

Family's claims

In the proceedings, it was claimed there was a failure to properly investigate and respond to Mr Cuddihy’s complaints and progression of his symptoms in hospital including severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and abdominal rigidity which were indicative of a serious underlying condition.

It was also claimed there was a failure to act on and repeat blood tests in circumstances where the initial blood testing rendered the initial results unreliable and prevented critical diagnostic information from being obtained. Repeat blood tests, it was claimed, would have been abnormal and prompted treatment.

It was also contended there was a failure to diagnose and treat ascending cholangitis in Mr Cuddihy which, had he been properly assessed during the first 24 hours of his admission, would not have occurred.

Sepsis, it was claimed, was caused to overtake Mr Cuddihy after his discharge and there was a failure to diagnose and treat ascending cholangitis and related conditions which, combined with gallstones and liver abscesses, led to sepsis and the death of Mr Cuddihy.