A complaint for medical negligence targets a hospital in Seville (Spain). One patient, misdiagnosed with gastroenteritis, died of aortic dissection. His family is demanding 263,000 euros in compensation.
The Virgen Macarena University Hospital in Seville (Spain) is the subject of a complaint for serious medical negligence. A patient, sent home with a diagnosis of simple gastroenteritis, died several hours later of an aortic dissection, reports Telecinco.
The facts date back to December 19, 2024. That day, a man was admitted to the emergency room, presenting with intense abdominal pain radiating to the sides, chest, neck and jaw, accompanied by loss of consciousness.
When taken to hospital, the patient has blood tests. They reveal significant leukocytosis (increase in the number of white blood cells), a sign of a severe inflammatory or infectious state. The man also has a chest x-ray. According to a medical expert report given to the victim’s family, the imaging showed a widening of the mediastinum (region of the thorax between the lungs) and a dilation of the aorta, typical signs of an aortic dissection.
Ignoring these indicators, doctors only diagnosed acute gastroenteritis and sent the patient home with painkillers in the afternoon. And even though he had no vomiting or diarrhea. According to the complaint, the x-ray was not even mentioned in the hospitalization report, even though the man continued to feel the same intense pain that had motivated his admission.
The family is demanding 263,000 euros in compensation
The next morning, the patient collapsed at home. Despite the intervention of emergency services and resuscitation attempts, he was pronounced dead at 7:40 a.m. The autopsy will confirm a type A aortic dissection (which concerns the ascending aorta), leading to fatal cardiac tamponade.
Near Telecincothe family’s lawyer, Me Pedro Arnaiz, a specialist in medical errors, underlines the seriousness of this misdiagnosis: “Aortic dissection is an absolute life-threatening emergency. Without treatment, mortality increases by 1 to 2% every hour. With early diagnosis and surgery, the survival rate reaches 80%.”
The family is now demanding 263,000 euros in compensation from the Andalusian Health System (SAS). The Andalusian Ministry of Health announced the opening of an internal investigation to examine the circumstances of this tragedy.
