Doctor 'horrified' at injection

Patricia Leighton died in July 1998

A doctor told a court she was horrified that a colleague injected a patient with adrenalin who then later died.

Patricia Leighton, 51, had been taken into Staffordshire District General Hospital suffering from septic shock. She died there in July 1998.

Dr Doris Ng told Birmingham Crown Court that in her view, the drug should only be given to someone suffering a heart attack.

Dr Priya Ramnath, 40, denies manslaughter by gross negligence.

Mrs Leighton, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, had rheumatoid arthritis and an infected bunion and was admitted to hospital in Cannock on 20 July 1998.

Dr Priya Ramnath denies manslaughter by gross negligence.

She was taken into intensive care suffering from septic shock where registrar Dr Ramnath chose to give her adrenaline in an effort to raise her blood pressure.

But giving evidence via video link from Singapore, Dr Ng, also on duty that night, said was "horrified" that Mrs Leighton was given the injection and went to check on her condition.

The court heard she found her very distressed, flailing her arms about and throwing her body forward and backward. A short time later she collapsed.

Under cross examination, Dr Ramnath's defence counsel suggested she was seriously under describing the seriousness of Mrs Leighton's condition.

But Dr Ng said although she was ill, she was alert, sitting up, not in respiratory distress and not about to die.

The trial continues.

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Doctor 'horrified' at injection