Doctors missed fatal illness amid 'hysteria'

"Swine flu hysteria" was partly responsible for a Christchurch man's fatal case of blood poisoning being overlooked during three visits to a flu centre, his family and doctor say.

Minh Tran, 44, died on Wednesday, July 22, within minutes of being rushed to Christchurch Hospital's Emergency Department with blood poisoning caused by the skin infection cellulitis.

Tran, a father of two young girls, had been to the Christchurch flu centre in St Asaph St three days in a row before his death, but his fatal condition was not detected. His family and doctor say that if Tran had ignored Ministry of Health advice and visited his GP he would still be alive.

They say "swine flu hysteria" means people such as Tran with flu-like symptoms are turned away from their GP and receive limited medical care at flu centres.

Canterbury health officials are investigating the case and say the centres are equipped to detect and treat other illnesses.

Dan Lai believed his uncle died unnecessarily because of an intense focus on swine flu.

"We, the family, are very angry. We rely on doctors' authority to give advice. We believe in them to make us better," he said. "They told my uncle to take the flu tablets and he would get better."

Lai said Tran began feeling unwell on Saturday, July 18, with flu-like symptoms, including fever and fatigue, and visited the 24-hour surgery the next day when his condition worsened.

Tran was turned away from the 24-hour surgery and told to call the flu hotline, his nephew said.

Tran visited the flu centre on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and was given Tamiflu.

Lai said Tran's leg, where the blood infection started, was not checked until the Wednesday, the day of his death.

On the Wednesday morning he went to the flu centre, where he complained that the pain was "so bad he begged them to cut his leg off", Lai said.

Tran was given antibiotics intravenously and told a nurse would visit him at home that afternoon. Before the scheduled visit, Tran's condition deteriorated so badly that his wife called an ambulance.

Tran died in the emergency department within 15 minutes of arrival, Lai said.

Tran's family GP, Dr David Robertson, said Tran's death was preventable.

"Swine flu hysteria" meant people were not getting appropriate care for all their medical ailments if they were sent to flu centres, he said.

"GPs deal with the flu every winter, and every winter people die," Robertson said.

"I now tell my patients to come and see me whether they have flu symptoms or not because I know their history and can give them the attention they need."

Canterbury Primary Pandemic Group spokesman Simon Wynn-Thomas said the group's sympathies went to the Tran family.

The Canterbury District Health Board was investigating, particularly looking at whether there was an opportunity to diagnose a different clinical condition earlier, Wynn-Thomas said.

He could not discuss the specific case, but in some illnesses symptoms were difficult to distinguish from flu.

"So there's a risk in an environment with lots of flu patients you assume it's flu, but it's an early sign of something else."

Wynn-Thomas said flu clinics were staffed by GPs trained to pick up other illnesses and were equipped to treat other problems.

"We don't think encouraging flu patients to go to their own GPs is in the best interests of all patients," Wynn-Thomas said.

- © Fairfax NZ News