Docs 'thought pea in lung was tumour' ; FAMILY SAY GRANDAD DIED AFTER MEDICS FAILED TO SPOT PNEUMONIAGrandad, 85, died after doctors 'mistook pea for lung cancer'EXCLUSIVE

By ANUJI VARMA

A GREAT grandfather died when doctors wrongly diagnosed cancer after failing to spot he had a PEA lodged in his lung, his family have claimed.

The mistake meant crucial days passed before severe pneumonia was identified.

The family of William Lintern, of Sheldon, said they believe he would be alive today had medics not mistaken the vegetable for a "sizeable, aggressive tumour".

Diagnosis for the chest infection came ten days too late and he died on his 85th birthday.

Last night, son Roger, 56, of Solihull, said: "I can't believe that they thought a pea on my dad's lung was cancer. And then failed to spot he had pneumonia until ten days after he was taken into hospital.

"I am certain he would have been alive today had they found out he had the virus much earlier and treated him correctly in the first place.

"When my dad was told he had cancer, he lost the will to live. His body started to pack up and he was convinced he wouldn't survive. But all along, it was just a pea stuck in his right lung."

It began when Mr Lintern, a retired toolmaker, started to suffer from shortness of breath. Roger drove his dad, who had battled cancer twice before, to A&E and he was taken in overnight for observation.

But it wasn't until January 22 that a CT scan was performed - the family were unable to visit as the hospital was on lock down due to infection control. In a phone call to Roger, Mr Lintern complained that he was getting worse. The next day Roger went to see his father, along with his mum. He said: "We were told by a sister at the hospital that my dad had a sizeable tumour on his right lung and it was pressing against his windpipe and this was causing the shortness of breath. She told us he required a bronchoscopy, when a camera is inserted to determine how far it the disease has spread. We were told that would take several days." Roger complained about the delay, but he said: "I was told 'you must understand this is the NHS' and they were very busy and there was a waiting list.

"When I asked about the tumour type, I was told that because my father's scan two months previous was clear then it must be aggressive and there would be little treatment offered. This upset both of us and he seemed to get even worse." By January 25, Mr Lintern's condition had deteriorated even more, he was unable to get out of bed and struggling to breathe, so he was transferred to Heartlands Hospital. The grandad who had a cancerous kidney previously removed, was put on dialysis, but it wasn't until January 29 that the family were finally told the hospital was now treating him for pneumonia. A bronchoscopy was also to be carried out to confirm he had lung cancer.

Results for this procedure were finally revealed to dad-of-two Roger on February 5 when he was informed his father never had cancer at all, and the tumour was a blockage caused by the pea. It is thought Mr Lintern must just have swallowed the pea and it went down the 'wrong way'. He added: "When I asked about the tumour she said that there was no trace of any cancer when they carried out the bronchoscopy but they did find a garden pea. The doctor then apologised for the diagnosis we were given at Solihull and said they would try everything to clear up his chest infection. They even showed us a picture of the pea that had been removed during the procedure. "There was an improvement in my dad's condition, and we were all quite upbeat. But sadly, in the early hours of the next day he died on his birthday. We were all devastated. My mum Molly is very angry about the way my dad was treated, as we all are." Roger complained to the hospital about his father's treatment within days of his death. But he's still waiting to hear back from the hospital and is considering legal action.

Dr Aresh Anwar, Heartlands Hospital medical director, said the hospital had launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr Lintern's death. Dr Anwar said: "We are extremely sorry that there has been a delay in responding to Mr Lintern's complaint. This is unacceptable and is not the high standard that we aim for when responding to concerns raised by patients and their families. We will be investigating further and will directly contact Mr Lintern to address this matter. "The safety and care of all our patients is a priority for our doctors and nurses and if there is a case where we have not delivered the best care possible, we will always investigate why and how we can do things better. We would like to send our sincerest condolences to the Lintern family."

Originally published by ANUJI VARMA Health Correspondent anuji.varma@trinitymirror.com.

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