Finding into death of Daryl Wayne Nankervis
Deceased
Daryl Wayne Nankervis
Demographics
64y, male
Date of death
2010-04-30
Finding date
2013-01-22
Cause of death
Ischaemic bowel and spleen infarction secondary to occlusion of splenic artery and superior mesenteric artery by surgical clips complicating laparoscopic and open nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma
AI-generated summary
A 64-year-old man died from bowel and spleen infarction caused by surgical clips incorrectly placed on the splenic and superior mesenteric arteries during laparoscopic nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma. The surgeon misidentified major blood vessels in the setting of extensive fibrotic tissue around the kidney. Although the surgeon converted to open surgery, he placed clips on wrong vessels in both approaches. Post-operatively, the patient had fever but initial investigations were negative; he appeared well at morning review but collapsed suddenly at midday. The surgeon acknowledged the error and admitted he should have converted to open surgery sooner given the anatomical difficulties. The coroner recommended detailed post-operative notes documenting surgical complexities to enable appropriate monitoring. This case highlights the importance of recognising technical difficulty early, considering conversion to safer approaches, and ensuring thorough post-operative documentation and vigilance.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- Misidentification of major blood vessels during surgery
- Extensive fibrotic tissue around kidney and arteries complicating anatomy
- Delayed conversion from laparoscopic to open surgery
- Surgical clips placed on wrong arteries (splenic artery and superior mesenteric artery instead of left renal artery)
- Inadequate post-operative monitoring despite fever and initial negative investigations
Coroner's recommendations
- Post-operative file notes should detail the complexities that arose during the operation so that appropriate post-operative monitoring can be undertaken
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