A talented university graduate passed away following more than an hour in a hospital corridor where a nurse provided her with an oxygen mask that was not connected, according to an inquest.
Clarissa Street, 24, experienced a pulmonary embolism and was admitted to A&E at Royal Oldham Hospital after experiencing dizziness and feeling unwell.
The University of Manchester graduate, who specialized in Sociology and received the Dean’s Award for her dissertation, tragically passed away on August 14, 2024.
During the inquest into her death, it was revealed that a paramedic initially thought Clarissa, described by her family as a well-liked, creative, and outgoing individual, was “overreacting and having a panic attack” upon her arrival.
Upon reaching Royal Oldham Hospital, Clarissa was given an oxygen mask that was not connected in an attempt to assist with her breathing. She spent approximately an hour in a corridor before being moved to a higher level of care, the inquest disclosed.
Regrettably, her health deteriorated, and she ultimately succumbed to a pulmonary embolism with an underlying fatty liver disease, as reported by Manchester Evening News.
Clarissa’s boyfriend had called for an ambulance on August 13 when she began fainting after feeling unwell for two days. Leading up to her hospitalization, she had been experiencing difficulty sleeping and had trouble keeping food and water down.
The inquest mentioned that Clarissa had a history of a provoked pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis in 2017, for which she had taken blood thinners at various times until 2024.
Nurse Michelle Neale, the triage nurse on duty at the time of Clarissa’s death, requested ECG, blood tests, and venous blood gas tests for Clarissa. She noted that the ambulance had indicated she was hyperventilating but had managed to stabilize her breathing through conversation.
Although acknowledging the error of providing a disconnected mask, Ms. Neale claimed it had helped regulate Clarissa’s breathing, as she was able to speak in full sentences.
Ms. Neale then handed Clarissa over to a more senior nurse, indicating the need for a cubicle. However, despite Clarissa having low blood oxygen levels and a high heart rate, she was placed in a corridor for about an hour. The senior nurse reportedly commented that Clarissa was young and would be monitored while receiving fluids in the corridor.
The inquest revealed that, based on national guidelines, Clarissa was not required to be referred to hematology in 2017 following her pulmonary embolism, and long-term anticoagulant treatment was unnecessary due to the embolism being provoked.
While acknowledging that a hematology referral and additional tests might have been beneficial in hindsight, the inquest noted that Clarissa’s 2024 embolism was unprovoked, and any linkage between the two events could not be established.
The inquest is set to conclude on Friday, May 8.