Retired Humberside Police detective died after blood thinning drug error

Retired detective Andy Kirby had a long career with Humberside Police, which involved searching for bodies after the1974 sinking of the Gaul trawler

A retired detective died from internal bleeding caused by blood thinning medication despite having had a similar reaction several years earlier.

Andy Kirby, 69, from Hessle, East Yorkshire, died at Hull Royal Infirmary (HRI) on 24 December 2020.

The hospital initially attributed his death to Covid-19, but a coroner has now ruled he died from an "acute and significant gastro-intestinal bleed".

Hospital bosses have offered Mr Kirby's family an "unreserved apology".

The inquest heard Mr Kirby had gone to Castle Hill Hospital, in Cottingham, on 9 December for a biopsy after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

During the procedure he suffered a pneumothorax, which can cause a collapsed lung, and was transferred to HRI for treatment, where he was prescribed the blood thinning medication dalteparin and later discharged.

However, on 20 December he was readmitted with abdominal pain before being diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, or a blood clot in the lungs, and given further blood thinning medication.

When medics became concerned the medication was causing internal bleeding it was stopped but was then restarted on 23 December by another doctor.

Mr Kirby's partner, Kathy Rowe, said she was still haunted by his death

Mr Kirby died a few hours later in the early hours of Christmas Eve.

During the inquest it emerged he had suffered a similar reaction to Wafarin in 2013.

Recording a narrative conclusion, Assistant Coroner Ian Sprakes, said Mr Kirby's death from internal bleeding had "in all probability, occurred due to the recommencement of the anticoagulation medication".

Speaking after the inquest, where Mr Kirby's family were represented by Hudgell Solicitors, his widow, Kathy Rowe, said they had "no communication" from the hospital and doctors there had no recognition of his medical history.

"We could have raised concerns, highlighting what had happened when he'd been given them previously," she said.

"What upsets us is that he died alone, bleeding to death. I'm haunted by that."

Andrea Kirby said she had to pursue the truth to honour her father

Mr Kirby's daughter, Andrea Kirby, said: "It's still very upsetting because we knew... if that one doctor hadn't given him the anti coagulants he would still be here."

Ms Rowe said they requested a post-mortem examination after refusing to accept the hospital's reason for his cause of death being Covid, which she described as "nonsense".

"When we were told Covid was being put on the death certificate we knew we couldn't accept it.

"It was so important for us to find the truth because of what Andy did and who he was."

A spokeswoman for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: "The Trust is committed to learning from this case to ensure that it does not happen again."