Doctor makes admission in inquest into Mottley’s death

Surgeon Dr Sahle Griffith said on Tuesday that he treated Warren Mottley as best as he could with the knowledge that he had back in June 2021, but admitted that the patient had been “misdiagnosed” at one point.

He gave that testimony as his lawyers Francis De Peiza, Michael Lashley K.C. and Sade Harris questioned him during the Coroner’s Inquest into the death of Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s brother.

Mottley died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) on June 29, 2021, a week after a routine colonoscopy at Surgical Solutions Inc. (SSI), a private medical facility where Dr Griffith is the principal surgeon.

Asked by De Peiza whether Mottley was misdiagnosed on the night of June 27, 2021, Dr Griffith who was the surgeon responsible for Mottley’s care at SSI stated: “Yes, I will say yes. Yes, Warren Mottley was misdiagnosed.

“The CT did not show the bowel was ischaemic . . . it did not record it, Sir . . . . The diagnostic laparoscopy did not show ischaemic bowel. The first time ischaemia [was seen] was at the laparotomy at which time it was considered within [the category] of reversible ischaemia secondary to pressors . . .

“The final diagnosis came, in fact, when he had entirely blue bowel . . . . Normally, if Mr Mottley had not had a colonoscopy done five days prior and had abdominal pain, he would have been sent home. He would have presented two days later when all of his bowel was blue and at that point, we opened him and closed him, Sir,” the doctor explained.

Dr Griffith disclosed that Mottley had a colonoscopy on June 22, a laparoscopy on June 27, a laparotomy on June 28 and another on June 29, 2021.

Under questioning by attorney-at-law Faye Finisterre who is representing the Mottley family along with counsel Stewart Mottley, the witness stated that he moved Mottley from the hospital to his facility on June 27 on the “suspicion” that he had a “perforation”.

“. . . . At the time we were approaching it laparoscopically, Sir, and the best place to have laparoscopic surgery done in Barbados is at Surgical Solutions Inc., Sir,” he said, adding that his facility often augmented the QEH’s services.

“I would say I am not exactly certain as to the time of the year but there was a time where Queen Elizabeth was not offering laparoscopic surgeries because of the extent of protection for the staff and the consideration . . . with regards . . . to COVID . . . ,” he added.

He explained that if it was found that Mottley had a perforation “we would have returned him to the QEH immediately” after addressing the issue.

“He clearly did not have a perforation on the day in question . . . as according to the laparoscopy. He most certainly did not have a perforation when we entered the abdomen, Sir. To this day, there has been no perforation related to the colonoscopy identified on Mr Warren Mottley.

“I suspected that he had a perforation at the hospital on June 27. . . . I moved him with the suspected perforation but there was no actual perforation at that time,” Dr Griffith told the inquest in the No. 10 Supreme Court, adding that he moved Mottley with his consent.

The coroner Magistrate Graveney Bannister queried: “The hospital was inadequate, you moved him to your place and only when he is gravely ill you take him back to the hospital?”

Dr Griffith responded: “. . . . Mr Mottley had bowel ischaemia that was in manifestation. Had he been at the QEH, had he been at Surgical Solutions, the extent of bowel ischaemia found at autopsy was non-survivable, Sir.”

The doctor also stated he was satisfied that he treated Mottley appropriately in all the circumstances.

“I treated him as best as I could with the knowledge that I had in June 2021, Sir,” Dr Griffith said.