Awards and settlements

£1 million settlement for diagnosis delay

A man has received a £1 million settlement after a delay in diagnosing and treating a cardiac infection, which resulted in an aneurysm and a permanent brain injury. He was born with a congenital condition for which he received treatment throughout his life. He was admitted to hospital due to severe chest pains and fever. He was initially diagnosed with pneumonia and discharged home on antibiotics. Blood tests were carried out but despite the results of these tests being reported as abnormal, they were not acted upon or communicated to the treating clinicians. It took four months for the treating clinicians to recognise that he had endocarditis and diagnose and treat this correctly.