Hospital apology after needle was left inside heart op patient

TRUST AGREES SETTLEMENT WITH THE MAN'S WIDOW

- By TOM KEIGHLEY

THE widow of a man who endured being sewed up after surgery with a needle lodged in his chest has agreed a compensation settlement with Hull University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust.

Father-of-four Leslie Runkee was undergoing heart surgery at Castle Hill Hospital in October 2023, when surgeons lost a needle in his chest.

Having realised their mistake, they called for a radiographer to take X-rays to find the missing implement. But with no radiographer at the hospital after 8pm, a specialist was called from a neighbouring hospital.

According to the trust, cover normally aims to be provided within 30 minutes, but on the night, heavy traffic is said to have caused the journey to take more than an hour. Due to the delay, Mr Runkee became unstable and the decision was taken to close his sternum.

A second operation was staged 48 hours later to remove the needle. Mr Runkee continued to struggle with health issues and he died in hospital in May 2024, aged 76.

A legal case was brought by Hull-based medical negligence specialists Hudgell Solicitors against the Trust, which admitted a “break of duty” that Mr Runkee would have avoided the need for a second operation, had a radiographer arrived within 30 minutes.