Dave Murray: Journalist died following Royal Berkshire Hospital operation

David Murray, known as ‘Dave’, was hospitalised with pneumonia in March 2021 when he was operated on to have a feeding tube fitted to help him receive nutrition.

Dave, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2019, came through the procedure but reported feeling unwell just 30 hours later.

After vomiting through the night where it was discovered that he had a mixture of blood and gastric content in his abdominal area.

Following scans, the former Reading Evening Post reporter and editor was told he would not survive and died three days later.

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It was later discovered the rig Dave had been fitted with had collapsed following surgery, although it was found that the device broke up after Dave had started to feel unwell.

Berkshire Assistant Coroner Alan Blake, who described Dave as a ‘talented journalist’ ruled that Dave died of peritonitis – which is an infection of the inner lining of the tummy.

Dave’s partner, Abbie Enock, who he met four decades ago working for the Reading Evening Post, paid tribute to her husband in a moving speech at the inquest.

She said: “We were soulmates.

“We had a great love and with that comes great grief and loss.

“Being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease was a great shock but we battled through it as a team.

“It was a weird time for us, and it coincided with lockdown, and in some ways that was wonderful as we spent a lot of time together.

“He loved seeing friends and seeing people.

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“He was really loved and respected by everyone he met.”

Why did Dave need an operation?

Dave, who set up The Business Magazine in 1993 after quitting the Evening Post, was hospitalised in late February 2021 after developing a suspected chest infection.

This, alongside his MND, led to breathing difficulties for Dave.

During this time, his condition worsened as he was suffering from respiratory distress and was not getting any nutrition due to becoming dependent on a ventilator mask.

After an improvement in his condition in the first week of March, it was decided Dave should undergo an operation to have feeding tube fitted to aid his nutritional intake.

What was the operation?

Dr Farhan Ahmed, a consultant radiologist, oversaw Dave’s procedure at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

To fit the rig, he needed to fit the 67-year-old with a balloon and three sutures to hold the device in place.

The operation took place on March 18, 2021, with the risks of the operation – such as bleeding, infections and bruising -- explained to Dave beforehand.

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Speaking at the inquest into Dave’s death, Dr Ahmed said his patient was in a “fit condition” before the procedure and that there were “no concerns” about Dave’s ability to go through the operation despite his respiratory issues.

What happened next?

Dave, who lived in Goring on the Oxfordshire-Berkshire border, came through the operation and reported the procedure as going well to his doctor.

But 30 hours later Dave was vomiting and unwell.

A CT scan was organised following concerns raised about possible sepsis.

Results revealed Dave’s stomach had been “compromised”.

Following this, a doctor told Dave and his wife Abbie that he did not believe Dave would survive the injury.

Speaking of this moment, Abbie said: “Things unfolded very quickly and he told me what was happening.

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“That information was brutal and unhelpful in his condition at that moment.

“I had no idea she [the doctor] would say that.”

Dave’s condition deteriorated and on March 21 he was reported as being “extremely poorly” with “no evidence of response to treatment.”

The following day a doctor told Abbie her husband was suffering from severe sepsis and that medical professionals wanted to stop treatment as he was “critically ill”.

Dave passed away early in the morning on March 23, 2021.

What did Dave’s post-mortem say?

A post-mortem examination from Colin McCormack revealed Dave’s lungs were congested and swelled at the time of his death.

The sutures fitted during Dave’s operation were not found and the balloon fitted had collapsed.

This caused the tip of the tube to become detached and was found free-floating in Dave’s stomach.

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A defect in Dave’s stomach wall was also discovered and gastric content was found in his abdominal cavity.

The cause of death was peritonitis caused by the radiologically inserted rig, the pathologist found, which was exacerbated by Dave’s pneumonia.

Mr McCormack declared Dave’s death was both natural and unnatural.

What did the surgeon who performed the procedure say?

Dr Ahmed was questioned by both coroner Alan Blake and Dave’s wife, Abbie.

The consultant, who said he had performed more than 200 of this type of operations with a partner, claimed Dave’s death was the only mortality resulting from this procedure.

He said: “I was pleased with the procedure and if I had any concerns, I would have taken Dave for a CT scan.”

He said the rig was placed in the correct position and a CT scan on March 20 – two days after the operation – proved this.

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Asked why the tip of the rig became detached and the balloon had collapsed, Dr Ahmed said: “I don’t know.”

He added: “This is the first instance I’ve seen of a rig falling apart. I have never seen that before.

“I have never come across a broken rig, it is just so unusual.

“I have given it great thought. It doesn’t seem to sit right.

“I have got no good explanation. It just doesn’t really make sense to me.”

What was the coroner’s final judgement?

Considering the evidence, coroner Alan Blake found there were no complications during or after Dave’s procedure.

And on the balance of probabilities, he found the rig was correctly inserted – as proved by a CT scan on March 20 which showed the device in the correct position still be supported by the sutures and the balloon.

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He said: “However, there was a deterioration in his condition on March 19/20 caused by peritonitis arising from blood and gastric content in the abdominal cavity.”

Mr Blake noted the post-mortem report which showed the top of the rig had become detached, the balloon had collapsed, and the sutures were not visible.

But he accepted the collapse of the device must have occurred after March 20, and that he did not have sufficient evidence to determine how said defect occurred.

Despite this, Mr Blake ruled Dave died from peritonitis developed as a result of a “necessary” rig procedure.

The inquest took place at Reading Town Hall on Friday, July 30.