Home » Posts » Junior doctor says superiors made all decisions on Mottley’s care

Junior doctor says superiors made all decisions on Mottley’s care

by Barbados Today
4 min read
A+A-
Reset

A junior doctor at Surgical Solutions Inc. on Wednesday maintained that all treatment administered to Warren Mottley during her shift was done under the advice of senior medical practitioners.

Dr Courtney Chase, who tended to Mottley from 10:30 p.m. on June 27, 2021, until 6 a.m. the next day, said that while she was the only doctor present during that time, she was never in charge of his care.

Testifying as the Coroner’s Inquest into Mottley’s death continued in the Supreme Court, she said when Mottley’s condition deteriorated to the point she was overly concerned, around 5:30 a.m. on June 28, a senior doctor was alerted and quickly made his way to the health facility.

Dr Chase was giving evidence for the third consecutive day in the inquiry into the death of the younger brother of Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who passed away at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on June 29, 2021, from sepsis.

Under cross-examination by Queen’s Counsel Sir Elliot Mottley – the lead attorney for the Mottley family and the deceased’s father – Dr Chase explained that she was only a junior surgeon at the time she tended to Mottley.

“For the record, I was never in charge of Warren Mottley’s care. I was operating under advisement from two other senior doctors. I was examining him, assessing him, and relaying information to my seniors who determined his care,” she said.

Dr Chase insisted that she was in constant communication with her superiors while monitoring Mottley who had undergone laparoscopic surgery on the afternoon of June 27.

She said at no time did she make any independent diagnosis of his condition.

Dr Chase recalled that when Mottley’s condition became worrisome on the morning of June 28, she immediately called a senior doctor who arrived at Surgical Solutions “15 to 20 minutes” later.

Sir Elliot challenged Dr Chase that an injury Mottley received to his jejunum – the middle part of the small intestine – happened as a result of “someone going into his body”.

However, Dr Chase stated that could have happened without surgery.

“The reason I don’t agree is that one of the concerns with small bowel obstruction is that you have to intervene because perforation or a hole in the bowel can occur, even if surgery is not done,” she said.

When asked by the Coroner Magistrate Graveney Bannister if it was possible for a minor perforation to go unnoticed for a period of time, Dr Chase declined to offer a comment, saying that she was not an expert.

She testified, though, that there was no sign of perforation or sepsis at the completion of Mottley’s surgery.

Dr Chase also refuted suggestions by Sir Elliot that Mottley’s constant low blood pressure readings, elevated heart rates, and respiration rates, as well as reduced urine output, were signs of septic shock.

She said the symptoms of hypovolemic shock were similar to that of septic shock.

“Hypovolemic shock can have the same low blood pressure, increased heart rate, and decreased urine output. Septic shock tends to be associated with fever and increased respiratory rate and the white blood cell count was not available until the patient reached the Queen Elizabeth Hospital,” she said.

“The patient had a normal respiratory rate, normal mental status, and no fever. The result of the white blood cell count was available at 1:05 p.m. on June 28 so that would have been unavailable to the doctor when I took the blood at 8 a.m. Therefore, a doctor would only have been able to use evidence from his blood pressure and pulse to make a diagnosis,” Dr Chase said.

You may also like

About Us

Barbados Today logos white-14

The (Barbados) Today Inc. is a privately owned, dynamic and innovative Media Production Company.

Useful Links

Get Our News

Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

Barbados Today logos white-14

The (Barbados) Today Inc. is a privately owned, dynamic and innovative Media Production Company.

BT Lifestyle

Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Accept Privacy Policy

-
00:00
00:00
Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00