Great North Run competitor left with life-changing disabilities after suffering from heatstroke
A Great North Run competitor, who developed heatstroke, was left with life-changing disabilities after he was wrongly sent him home from hospital.
Luke Oldfield, 31, collapsed at the finish line after completing the Great North Run on Sunday, September 8, 2019.
The then 25-year-old treated in the medical tent before being taken to A&E at South Tyneside District Hospital.
The PhD university student told medics that he couldn’t remember the last half of the race but was discharged from hospital hours later, despite his ECG being abnormal.
Luke then flew to Chicago three days later to give a lecture as part of his PhD studies and suffered multi-organ failure and a severe brain injury while in the United States.
This resulted in him having mobility issues, which has left him in a wheelchair, as well as with speech and vision impairments.
Luke, who spent nearly two years in hospital and rehabilitation centres following the ordeal, has spoken about the impact that it has had on his life.
He said: “Before all this, I was an independent and active and was concentrating on my PhD and the future.
“I don’t remember the end of the Great North Run, just coming round in the tent afterwards.
“I knew I was in a bad way but when I was sent home from hospital that night, I just trusted what I was told.
“The days afterwards I wasn’t myself. I was tired and aching all over. I don’t really remember much after that and getting to hospital in the States.”
Luke, who is from Thirsk, in Yorkshire, was unable to return to his previous home due to it being unsuitable, meaning he has had to sell up to purchase and adapt a bungalow for his needs.
Despite having faced life-changing challenges, Luke has restarted his studies and was recently awarded a doctorate following the successful completion of his PhD studies.
He added: “When I came round from my surgeries the gravity of what happened started to hit. I awoke a totally different person and one who couldn’t do anything for himself.
“It’s almost impossible to find the words to describe what spending nearly two years in a rehab centre was like. I struggled to communicate and couldn’t event cut food up myself.
“There were a lot of dark and emotional times, but I was determined to try and reclaim some of my old life and re-starting my studies.
“It has been a long haul with many setbacks and obstacles but obtaining my PhD will always be my proudest achievement.
“I know my life hasn’t turned out as I thought but I’m so grateful to be alive and want to make the most of it. I can’t thank the doctors in America and the medical staff once I was back in the UK for everything they did for me.
“I still face many challenges with my speech, mobility, writing, memory, fatigue and anything that requires coordination.
“I’ve had to move to a home that has been adapted for my needs and to allow me to regain some, however big or small, independence back.
“I just hope that by sharing my story I can not only warn others of the dangers of heat stroke but also inspire people who may be going through a life-changing event that help and support is available and they can still achieve their dreams.”
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust has since apologised after admitting a breach of duty and agreed its staff should have monitored Luke for longer.
Dr Shaz Wahid, the Executive Medical Director of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, commented: “We are sorry that we did not keep Luke in hospital for longer when he arrived with us showing signs of heatstroke after taking part in the Great North Run.
“Although it is not clear whether this would have changed his overall health outcome, there is no doubt that we should have monitored him for a longer period of time and for that we wholeheartedly apologise.
“We have since taken steps to make sure our teams learn from Luke’s experience with further training introduced to ensure, as far as possible, we prevent this from happening again.”
Following legal submissions by Irwin Mitchell, the Trust accepted that if Luke had been kept in hospital, tests may have highlighted a gradual decline in his liver and kidney function.
The Trust accepted that if Luke had received treatment, there is a possibility it would have prevented the progression of his kidney damage but it denied that it would have prevented him from suffering any kidney damage.
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust also argued that Luke's liver damage was caused by heatstroke, so even if he had remained in hospital, it was likely he would have still required a transplant - adding that he would have still suffered multi-organ failure and a brain injury.
Luke's neurological problems connected to his liver damage were not caused by the trust's breach of duty, it also claimed.
Tracy Tai, the medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Luke, stated: “While the signs of heat exhaustion often pass, if they don’t they can turn into heat stroke, which is a medical emergency and can result in life-changing complications, such as in Lukes’s case.
“The last few years have been incredibly traumatic for Luke and his family. Understandably they’ve had many questions and concerns about what happened, especially around the decision to discharge him from hospital on the evening of the Great North Run.
“Worrying issues in Luke’s A&E care have been admitted. While Luke has shown great determination to try and not be defined by his injuries, he still faces an uncertain future and many challenges.
“We’re determined to ensure Luke has access to the specialist life-long support and therapies he requires to maximise his recovery.
“In the meantime, we urge everyone to be aware of the dangers of heat stroke and the need for care standards to be upheld at all times.”
At the time of writing, Irwin Mitchell and South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust are working to resolve the ongoing issues in the case.