Mum almost DIED after medics FAILED to spot a COMMON infection

A NEW mum was just minutes from DEATH after medics failed to notice a common, but lethal, infection that almost resulted in amputation.

 



A new mum (NOT PICTURED) was minutes from death after she developed sepsis



 

Deborah Crossland, 34, was discovered by her husband Lee after developing sepsis following the difficult birth of her son, now eight months.

Mr Crossland found his wife dangerously slipping in and out of consciousness at home, where she was just 30-minutes from death.

Sepsis causes the body’s immune system to go into overdrive, setting off a series of reactions including widespread inflammation, swelling and blood clotting. 

This can lead to a significant decrease in blood pressure, which can mean the blood supply to vital organs such as the brain, heart and kidneys is reduced, according to the NHS.

Sepsis claims more lives than breast, bowel and prostate cancer combined annually but experts suggest many people do not know the deadly condition exists.

Mrs Crossland unknowingly also already had the common Strep A infection in her system and, when the abscess caused a kidney infection, this latched on and triggered sepsis as a result. 

She gave birth to George on May 8 last year after a difficult labour which saw doctors use forceps and carry out a surgical incision called an episiotomy. This procedure resulted in an abscess which was not picked up by medics before she was initially discharged, and dangerously swelled when she returned home.

 

Mrs Crossland said medics failed to spot the common but lethal infection

 

Two days after baby George’s birth, Mrs Crossland was in so much agony that she was unable to sit down or even urinate. Worryingly, a community midwife or GP could provide a reason why this was the case.

On the morning of May 12 Mr Crossland, 35, took the couple's two-year-old daughter Sophie to playgroup. 

When the Hull College worker returned home minutes later, he made the terrifying discovery that his wife was slipping out of consciousness. 

She was rushed to Hull Royal Infirmary's Women and Children's Hospital and medics eventually discovered she had gone into septic shock and had just MINUTES to live.

After being admitted to hospital, doctors discovered FLESH-EATING bacteria and even considered carrying out an AMPUTATION to cut away the flesh around the episiotomy and abscess. Thankfully the medical team were able to avoid this.

Mrs Crossland spent some of her two-week stay in hospital in intensive care, undergoing three blood transfusions.

 

Sepsis can lead to blood clotting and inflammation

 

She had no faults with the hospital's labour ward, where she stayed initially, but alleges when she was moved to a different ward serious problems began. 

Mrs Crossland claims nursing staff left her lying on blood-stained sheets for more than 24 hours and administered IV drips incorrectly. 

She alleges nursing staff were lax with her barrier nursing - a set of stringent infection controls which should have been in place - and left her feeling like a nuisance.

Hull salon owner Mrs Crossland said: "After coming home and realising the nature of my stay and the severity of the bacteria and antibiotics needed to fight it, I felt I needed to highlight these inconsistencies," she said. "I feel the care and approach to barrier nursing and the understanding of Strep A sepsis on the ward was inconsistent and the attitude towards me not being mobile and asking for assistance was different depending on staff.

"My son was what saved me - I was looking at him lying near me and he helped me fight for my life.

"I don't want anyone to feel the way I felt." 

  

Mrs Crossland (not pictured) described her experience as "horrendous"

 

Mrs Crossland, who is still recovering at home and is in constant pain in her pelvis and lower back, complained to Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust about her treatment and received a letter of apology. A spokesman for the trust said: "While we cannot comment specifically for reasons of patient confidentiality, we can confirm we have received contact from Ms Crossland and have responded to her directly. "However, should she have any further concerns we would advise her to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service again." 

Dr Ron Daniels, CEO of the UK Sepsis Trust, said: "Sepsis is a cruel and indiscriminate killer - and awareness among the general public is astonishingly low. "Making people more aware will save lives." 

Mrs Crossland added:"Doctors told me if Lee had been 30 minutes longer I would have died. "It is shocking I have learnt more about sepsis and what happened to me outside of hospital than when I was in it.

"It is not something that is talked about, but it is quite common during pregnancy so there definitely needs to be more awareness.

"The whole experience was horrendous - because of the lack of understanding of how ill I was and what was happening was unbelievable. "I had numerous issues while in and out of hospital with this, and it can still be hard to get across to some doctors how ill I have been."