Humberside Police have launched an investigation into several deaths of patients following surgery at Castle Hill Hospital. 

Investigations are ongoing in respect of ‘avoidable’ deaths with patients suffering ‘unimaginable harm’ whilst undergoing a ‘TAVI’ – a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implant. 

A TAVI is a procedure designed to treat aortic stenosis, a condition where the aortic valve narrows, restricting blood flow from the heart. Unlike traditional open-heart surgery, a TAVI involves inserting a catheter through an artery in the leg or chest to deliver and implant a new valve within the diseased one. This approach is particularly beneficial for elderly or high-risk patients who may not be suitable candidates for conventional surgery. 

The tragic story of Dorothy Redhead from Driffield exemplifies the gravity of the issues with TAVI at Castle Hill Hospital. Dorothy opted for this less invasive procedure as she was not deemed suitable for open heart surgery; she was keen to improve her quality of life, having suffered debilitating bouts of breathlessness due to a heart condition.  

The surgery, which she underwent in 2020 under local anaesthetic, should have only lasted two hours but instead, lasted six hours, with Dorothy losing around five litres of blood all while being under a local anaesthetic as opposed to a general anaesthetic. In spite of emergency surgery to attempt to repair the tear, Dorothy sadly passed away a week later and upon the care that she received being reviewed by the Royal College of Physicians, as well of the care involved in 10 further TAVI procedures between 2019 and 2023, it was highlighted that there were significant issues with the surgery. 

It appears that the catheter was inserted incorrectly into the Deceased’s right leg, where there was a blocked artery, as opposed to her left leg as previously agreed prior to the surgery. Instead of stopping at the blockage, the doctors tried 3 times to push the TAVI into the heart, which resulted in a significant tear in her femoral artery which ultimately led to her unfortunate passing.  

Sadly, the review of the other patients revealed that the issues with Dorothy were not an isolated event. The review findings included: 

• “Poor clinical decision-making” at every stage of the treatment of a male patient, aged 73 – including incorrect positioning of the TAVI valve 

• The same patient’s final death certificate failing to contain an “an accurate description” of what happened. He was issued with two certificates – the first one mentioning a “failed TAVI” was withdrawn, while a second one weeks later stated he died from pneumonia and didn’t mention the TAVI 

• Criticism of death certificates issued to two other patients, both women who died within six weeks of each other, saying crucial details were missing, making them inaccurate. 

• No mitigation for a female patient, aged 84, who had an “elevated risk” – which led to a complication “that might have been avoided under more experienced operators.” 

In 2021, such were the concerns about TAVI procedures that 7 cardiac consultants from the Hospital Trust wrote to the Chief Executive of the Hospital, Chris Long, expressing their concerns about the much higher death rates and the safety and transparency of the TAVI service.  

Our Clinical Negligence team have extensive experience in representing patients who have experienced negligent cardiac surgery and have secured substantial sums of compensation to help with their futures. We also have significant experience in representing bereaved families, including in circumstances where surgical errors have been made.  

If you or a loved one feel that your cardiac surgery, whether a TAVI or an alternative cardiac procedure, was not conducted to an appropriate standard, please contact our team on 01482 323697 to discuss how we can help.