Surgeon Misconduct Proven in Tragic Teen Death After Operation

A fitness to practise inquiry of the Medical Council has found that three allegations of professional misconduct against a surgeon who failed to seek help for a teenage girl who experienced massive blood loss during an operation, and who later died, have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Jessica Sheedy from Bruff, Co Limerick, was admitted to University Hospital Limerick on 8 May 2018 to have a large and rare but benign tumour removed from her abdomen. The 18-year-old beauty therapist died three days later on 11 May in the hospital's High Dependency Unit after suffering multiple-organ failure from complications which arose during the surgery. During the procedure, Ms Sheedy suffered a "massive haemorrhage" in her abdominal area caused by an injury to her aorta. The inquiry committee also concluded that ten allegations of poor performance against her surgeon, Dr Ashish Lal, including his decision to proceed with the operation where he did not have the appropriate experience, and where he had underestimated its complexity, had also been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Dr Lal had made full admissions to the three allegations of professional misconduct and the ten of poor professional performance over his care of Ms Sheedy at UHL between November 2017 and May 2018. In concluding they had all been proven beyond a reasonable doubt, the committee said it had also considered testimonies and other evidence presented to them. Inquiry chairperson Marie Culliton said that they considered each of the 13 proven allegations to be "a serious failing by Dr Lal". Jessica Sheedy's parents, James and Ann, described their daughter as "a beautiful young girl loved beyond words by her family and friends" who would have had her whole life ahead of her, but they said, it was taken away in a cruel way. The fitness to practise inquiry has concluded for the day, and will resume tomorrow when it will hear legal submissions on sanctions. Yesterday counsel for Dr Lal, Simon Mills SC, told the inquiry that Dr Lal had wished to offer an unqualified apology at the hearing for the shortcomings in his care. However, Mr Mills said they would respect the wishes of Ms Sheedy's family, who had indicated they did not want to hear an apology, but asked that it would be noted in consideration of any sanction that might be imposed on his client. At an inquest into Ms Sheedy's death in November 2019, a statement of apology was read out on behalf of the then University of Limerick Hospital Group's acting chief executive Noreen Spillane, in which she "apologised sincerely and unreservedly for the sorrow and distress caused to Jessica's family over her untimely death and for the personal trauma experienced by them". UL Hospitals Group told the inquest that it had drawn up 25 recommendations aimed at learning lessons and to prevent similar tragedies from happening.