LUTH denies allegation of negligence as patient dies at facility

The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has denied allegations of negligence in the death of Olaleye Franklin Adenibuyan, a patient who died at the facility.

A report said Adenibuyan was admitted to LUTH after falling and suffering a serious head injury during his visit to Nigeria.

The report alleged that the patient died due to a dearth of equipment at the hospital and delays in his treatment.

In a statement on Wednesday, Ayodeji Oluwole, chairman of the hospital’s medical advisory committee, said the late Adenibuyan was admitted to the facility on January 15, 2024, and was promptly attended to at the emergency department, and stabilised by a team of neurologists and neurosurgeons.

Oluwole, in the statement on behalf of the LUTH management, said 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,” the statement reads.

“Our records reveal that he was given prompt, appropriate, and professional care for his condition by senior medical professionals.”

Oluwole debunked insinuations of inadequate critical care equipment at LUTH, adding that it is not uncommon for hospital equipment to experience downtime.

He, however, said the hospital has backup 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,” the statement reads.

“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, X-ray, 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 the 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.”

Oluwole said a decision to perform surgery was taken, but while preparations for the procedure were ongoing, the patient suffered a cardiac arrest which led to his death.

The chairman said a committee has been inaugurated to investigate the allegations surrounding the death of Adenibuyan.