The Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, has rejected an allegation of negligence in the death of Mr. Olaleye Franklin Adenibuyan who died at the facility while receiving care from a critical fall.
While commiserating with the family of the deceased, LUTH management explained that late Adenibuyan, who was admitted deeply unconscious into the facility on January 15 2024, was promptly attended to at the Emergency Department and stabilized by a team of neurologists and neurosurgeons.
A statement by the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, Dr Ayodeji Oluwole disclosed that the deceased was subsequently transferred to the Intensive Care Unit, ICU, of the hospital for critical care because he was deeply unconscious when first admitted
“In the ICU, his care was coordinated by a team of neurosurgeons, intensivists and ICU nurses. Throughout his stay in the hospital, the managing team was in direct and constant contact with Mr. Adenibuyan’s immediate family, including his wife and son.
“Our records reveal that he was given prompt, appropriate and professional care for his condition by senior medical professionals,” the statement read.
Oluwole debunked insinuations of lack of critical care equipment at LUTH. While noting that it is not uncommon for hospital equipment to experience downtime, Oluwole said the hospital has back up arrangements when such downtimes occur.
“In situations when a hospital equipment experiences downtime, the hospital policy is for an ambulance and appropriate healthcare professionals to be made available to take the patient to a sister facility for the required procedure to be carried out.
“This was clearly communicated to Mr. Adenibuyan’s family when he needed a
repeat CT scan. For the records, LUTH has functional imaging facilities including MRI, Xray, ultrasonography, fluoroscopy and mammography machines.
“Deployment of equipment such as the intracranial pressure, ICP, monitor requires consumables such as probes. Such consumables are supplied by private vendors and the costs borne by the patient for which they are used. It is these consumables that were required to be made available in this case. The decision on timing of deployment of the ICP monitor was taken by the Neurosurgeons, with due consideration given to the potential benefits of ICP monitoring versus the potential risks that may arise from placing a foreign body within the brain,” he explained.
Oluwole stated that a decision to intervene surgically was taken, but while preparations for this were ongoing, the patient suffered a cardiac arrest from which he could not be successfully resuscitated.
LUTH management said a committee has been raised to investigate the allegations on the death of Adenibuyan and emphasized that the hospital remains a pride to the country owing to its enviable record and the commitment of government to improve on its facilities.
By Chimezie Godfrey
