Jasmine Hill, 19, went into cardiac arrest shortly after undergoing neck surgery at Gloucestershire Royal Infirmary in Gloucester. The inquest heard that a report commissioned by lawyers acting for Hill’s family referred to the pipe being “squeezed by a trolley wheel”. Hill, from Cirencester, had been readmitted to hospital after her neck swelled five days after a thyroidectomy – the removal of all or part of the thyroid gland – in September 2020. Doctors thought the surgical site on Hill’s neck, which was red and swollen, may have been infected, and it was decided that the wound should be cleaned under general anesthesia. The procedure took less than an hour and the teenager, who wanted to be a journalist or writer, went into cardiac arrest shortly after being moved by staff from the operating table to a bed. Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court heard an endotracheal tube, which supports breathing, was placed behind Hill’s head and away from her neck, attached to a pouch and connected to the ventilator. Gloucestershire assistant coroner Roland Wooderson asked Dr Hiro Ishii, who carried out the procedure, if he knew the anesthetist had checked the position of the endotracheal tube. Ishii replied: “I didn’t make a formal inquiry at that stage.” Nurse anesthetist Gerry Paclejan said the endotracheal tube was loosely attached to the side of the trolley with a tourniquet. “There’s no way the tube is going to touch the floor – it’s always on the side of the table,” he said. Corinne Slingo, representing Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust, asked Paclejan: “At any point were you aware of any compromise with the ventilation tube?” He replied: “No.” Referring to the report drawn up by lawyers acting for Hill’s family, the coroner asked: “In Jasmine’s case, can you remember where the tubes were that day?” Paclejan replied, “During intubation I always make sure the tube is tied and secure before we move the patient.” A medical examiner was unable to determine Hill’s cause of death. The inquest is expected to conclude on Wednesday.
