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| Patients wrongly certified dead | Patients wrongly certified dead |
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| Patients in five English hospitals have been incorrectly diagnosed as being dead over the past five years, the BBC has discovered. | Patients in five English hospitals have been incorrectly diagnosed as being dead over the past five years, the BBC has discovered. |
| The information was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by the Donal MacIntyre programme. | The information was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by the Donal MacIntyre programme. |
| In each case the mistake was later realised, the programme reports. | In each case the mistake was later realised, the programme reports. |
| A policeman told the show how he gave a woman heart massage after a doctor said she was dead; an undertaker nearly took her to a mortuary, he said. | A policeman told the show how he gave a woman heart massage after a doctor said she was dead; an undertaker nearly took her to a mortuary, he said. |
| Det Con Philip Shrimpton was called to a remote house in Thwing, East Yorkshire, in 1996 where Mrs Maureen Jones had slipped into a diabetic coma. She would have been placed in a coffin and taken to the mortuary and placed in a fridge Det Con Philip Shrimpton | |
| She was found lying face down in her bedroom. A doctor had incorrectly diagnosed her as dead and had left the scene - but Det Con Shrimpton had his doubts after his colleague thought he had seen her body move. | She was found lying face down in her bedroom. A doctor had incorrectly diagnosed her as dead and had left the scene - but Det Con Shrimpton had his doubts after his colleague thought he had seen her body move. |
| He told the Donal MacIntyre programme: "She didn't have the characteristics of someone who was dead in her eyes - it was almost as if there was some soul there. | He told the Donal MacIntyre programme: "She didn't have the characteristics of someone who was dead in her eyes - it was almost as if there was some soul there. |
| "I started giving her heart massage and after a couple of moments she took an intake of breath. I noticed there was some shallow breathing. I didn't panic â but I was very shocked." | "I started giving her heart massage and after a couple of moments she took an intake of breath. I noticed there was some shallow breathing. I didn't panic â but I was very shocked." |
| Knock at the door | Knock at the door |
| Moments previously, Det Con Shrimpton had told Mrs Jones' son that his mother had died. | Moments previously, Det Con Shrimpton had told Mrs Jones' son that his mother had died. |
| "I've thought about what it must have appeared to him. The doctor told him that his mother was dead and he comes into the room and there are two police officers - one astride his mother. | "I've thought about what it must have appeared to him. The doctor told him that his mother was dead and he comes into the room and there are two police officers - one astride his mother. |
| "At the same time there was a knock at the door and I can only imagine it was the undertaker. | "At the same time there was a knock at the door and I can only imagine it was the undertaker. |
| "If we hadn't recognised the fact she was alive, I am absolutely sure that the undertaker would have come upstairs. | "If we hadn't recognised the fact she was alive, I am absolutely sure that the undertaker would have come upstairs. |
| "She would have been placed in a coffin and taken to the mortuary and placed in a fridge. She would almost definitely have died as a result." | "She would have been placed in a coffin and taken to the mortuary and placed in a fridge. She would almost definitely have died as a result." |
| In a further case uncovered by the investigations, a decision was made to withdraw active treatment on a patient. | In a further case uncovered by the investigations, a decision was made to withdraw active treatment on a patient. |
| The patient was reviewed by a doctor who confirmed verbally that the patient had died. | The patient was reviewed by a doctor who confirmed verbally that the patient had died. |
| A short time later it was noticed that the patient was still breathing and when the patient was reassessed it was discovered that cardiac activity had returned. | A short time later it was noticed that the patient was still breathing and when the patient was reassessed it was discovered that cardiac activity had returned. |
| 'Rare events' | 'Rare events' |
| Dr Jan Bondeson, Professor of Rheumatology at Cardiff University and author of Buried Alive: The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear believes that these cases could be more widespread. | Dr Jan Bondeson, Professor of Rheumatology at Cardiff University and author of Buried Alive: The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear believes that these cases could be more widespread. |
| "There have been some near misses where people have woken up in a body bag in the morgue. So it is very likely that others have been buried alive," he said. | "There have been some near misses where people have woken up in a body bag in the morgue. So it is very likely that others have been buried alive," he said. |
| However, Dr Jonty Heaversedge of BBC One's Street Doctor said that cases of misdiagnoses are rare. | However, Dr Jonty Heaversedge of BBC One's Street Doctor said that cases of misdiagnoses are rare. |
| "These are cases where doctors haven't spent enough time confirming death. The vast majority of diagnoses are obvious and clear and there are very few exceptions. | "These are cases where doctors haven't spent enough time confirming death. The vast majority of diagnoses are obvious and clear and there are very few exceptions. |
| "All doctors are very well trained in diagnosing death and spend a lot of time making the correct diagnosis. People should not be worried about these extremely rare events." | "All doctors are very well trained in diagnosing death and spend a lot of time making the correct diagnosis. People should not be worried about these extremely rare events." |
| The Radio 5 Live investigation was broadcast on the Donal MacIntyre programme on Sunday 25 May. Get the podcast at the Donal MacIntyre programme website | The Radio 5 Live investigation was broadcast on the Donal MacIntyre programme on Sunday 25 May. Get the podcast at the Donal MacIntyre programme website |