GP’s care of patient who died from VTE hampered by lack of guidelines: coroner
The GP had to rely on his own 'personal protocol' because of a 'paucity' of general practice guidance, coroner Audrey Jamieson found.
The case of a patient with obesity who died of a venous pulmonary embolism highlights the “paucity” of guidelines for GPs treating high-risk patients with lower-leg injury, a coroner says.
The coroner was responding to the death of Kevin Harris, 38, who died of VTE 16 days after fracturing his left tibial plateau by slipping on grapes at work back in December 2022.
He consulted his GP, who diagnosed a soft-tissue injury based on mild soft-tissue swelling, a negative McMurray test for meniscal tear and the knee retaining a full range of motion.
He advised Mr Harris — who had a BMI of 37.6kg/m2 — to rest, ice the knee and take anti-inflammatory medication.
