Family of Milton Keynes woman hopes medical guidance will stop future deaths

Richard and Glenda Logsdail planned to travel more before she died after a breathing tube was mistakenly placed in her oesophagus

A grieving family hopes new guidance will stop a common surgical procedure from going wrong and causing deaths.

Glenda Logsdail died at Milton Keynes University Hospital in 2020 after a breathing tube was inserted into her oesophagus instead of her trachea.

The guidance, published in journal Anaesthesia, recommends measures that should be undertaken for surgery that requires a breathing tube.

Her family said she would be "happy" for "good" to come from her death.

The 61-year-old radiographer was being prepared for an appendicitis operation when the blunder occurred.

Oesophageal intubation occurs when a breathing tube is placed into the oesophagus - the tube leading to the stomach, instead of the trachea - the tube leading to the windpipe.

She died at Milton Keynes University Hospital after her blood oxygen levels plunged, causing a cardiac arrest.

The hospital apologised for the error and accepted full responsibility following an inquest.

A prevention of future deaths report was written by the coroner, which recommended action should be taken.

New guidance, published in Anaesthesia, recommends that exhaled carbon dioxide monitoring and pulse oximetry - which measures oxygen levels in the blood - should be available and used for all procedures that require a breathing tube.

Experts from the UK and Australia also recommended the use of a video-laryngoscope - an intubation device fitted with a video camera to improve the view - when a breathing tube is being inserted.

Dr Mike Nathanson, president of the Association of Anaesthetists, said: "Cases of unrecognised oesophageal intubation still occur and may, sadly, lead to death or brain injury.

"We welcome this important international initiative. We hope the guidance will be widely disseminated."

In a statement, Mrs Logsdail's family said: "We miss her terribly but we know that she'd be happy that something good will come from her tragic death and that nobody else will go through what we've had to go through as a family."