A woman who was in a coma for four days after she suffered a heart attack at her home in Co Kerry, weeks after she attended her GP with chest pain, has settled her High Court action.
Mother of six, Joan Doyle told the High Court that after checks, her family doctor said her heart and lungs were perfect and an ECG was fine when she went to him with “horrible and severe pain” which had travelled up her neck and down her shoulder.
She said she did not remember suffering a cardiac arrest in her kitchen over three weeks later, on the night of April 17th, 2019, but added her husband, James, who performed CPR on her, saved her life.
Joan Doyle (66), of Kilgobnet, Beaufort, Killarney, Co Kerry, sued her family doctor for the last ten years, Dr Edmond Prendiville, of Daly's Lane Practice, Killorglin, Co Kerry, over the care she received.
The court heard all the claims were denied and liability was at issue in the case.
Opening the action last week, Eugene Gleeson SC instructed by Kent Carty Solicitors told the court it was their case that the GP's care of Mrs Doyle was allegedly “substandard”.
Counsel added it was their contention that when Mrs Doyle presented with chest pain on March 26th, 2019, she should have been given aspirin and had arrangements made for her to go to hospital.
In the proceedings, it was claimed there was an alleged failure to prescribe any medication to assist Mrs Doyle with an earlier elevated platelet count and an alleged failure to recognise ECG results from March 2019 which were allegedly abnormal.
Simons Mills SC, for the GP, told the court that a GP expert on their side would say, based on a blind reading of the ECG taken on March 26th, 2019, along with the information in the clinical notes, he too would have concluded there was no cardiac event.
However, when the case came back before the High Court this week, Mr Justice Tony O’Connor was told the case had been settled.
The terms of the settlement are confidential.
