Virus contributed to OAP's death
MRSA contributed to the death of a former soldier, an inquest heard.
Father-of-six James Chance, who served in the British army for 24 years, died in the Eastbourne District General Hospital (DGH) in May 2008, less than a fortnight after a major operation.
Mr Chance, a widower aged 74, died of a heart attack following surgery for bladder cancer.
The inquest, held at Eastbourne Coroners Court on Thursday (March 4), found that the operation, plus MRSA and pneumonia contributed to a fast and irregular heartbeat and later a heart attack.
Surgeon Mr Peter Rimington, said the five-hour operation put extra pressure on the heart and compared it to running up three flights of stairs.
Microbiologist Dr Anne Krause said the MRSA would have also put a burden on the heart 'making it work like going uphill'.
Dr Krause explained that Mr Chance had tested negative for MRSA three weeks before being admitted for surgery but was found to have the bug a week after the operation.
She said that he could have picked up MRSA in the three-week window between being tested and being admitted, or could have caught it from nursing staff or from a visitor, perhaps sitting on the hospital bed or through kissing contact.
She explained that MRSA is present in the environment and is often harmless but that it can have very serious implications for patients who have had surgery or open wounds.
Dr Krause said, "You will find it in your family members, in your animals, in carpets and in sofas and on the skin."
Mr Chance's family, plus anaesthetist Dr Rhian Edwards, said Mr Chance was dehydrated when his condition deteriorated.
His daughter Mrs Bradley said she was 'taken aback' as to how dehydrated she thought her father was and the family criticised a lack of nursing care.
Sister Jocelyn Jaun, senior sister on what was Seaford 3 ward where Mr Chance was treated following the operation, said, "I can only apologise for any omission."
Coroner Alan Craze ruled a verdict of death by natural causes describing MRSA as 'a bacteria like any other'. Mr Craze praised the way the family had conducted themselves. He said, "You've been very dignified."
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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