Boy, 17, died when bungling doctors misdiagnosed his blood poisoning FOUR times thinking it was flu

Greg Bear's condition was dismissed by three doctors and a paramedic six days before he died
Mother was told his condition did not warrant a hospital visit, even when he began coughing up blood
Paramedic told Elizabeth Bear: If I was to take every 17-year-old boy coughing up blood, the system would grind to a halt'

Tragic: Greg Bear, 17, had been examined by three doctors and a paramedic six days before he died of septicaemia. They all dismissed his condition

A teenager died of blood poisoning after medics dismissed his illness as flu four times, an inquest has heard.

Greg Bear, 17, had been examined by three doctors and a paramedic six days before he died.

After he began coughing up blood - a key symptom of septicaemia - his mother Elizabeth begged one paramedic to rush the teen to hospital.

But she was told his condition was not bad enough and that he should take some paracetamol.

The paramedic added: 'If I was to take every 17-year-old boy coughing up blood, the system would grind to a halt,' the inquest heard.

Mr Bear's condition worsened the following day, but when his mother phoned trainee GP Dr Christopher Cope for help he also dismissed her concerns.

Hours later Mrs Bear dialled 999 and the teen was finally taken to Kings Mill Hospital in Nottingham on December 21, 2010, by another paramedic. He died the following morning.

Mr Bear, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottingham, had first gone to his GP on December 16 - the day after his 17th birthday - and was told he had a 'nasty cold, possibly flu'.

Days later he developed 'uncomplicated septicaemia' which could have been cured by a course of antibiotics, but was again wrongly diagnosed with flu.

Mrs Bear told Nottingham Coroners Court she had been left frustrated by the medics who examined her son.

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The day before he died she said it was clear her son needed urgent medical attention.

'Greg was red and had pain in his groin and bottom, he was burning up, he was coughing up blood and bile,' Mrs Bear said.

'He was in excruciating agony, his fingers were blue, his face was red and hot. We were told to keep giving him paracetamol and to come in if he got worse.

Death: The teen was finally taken to Kings Mill Hospital in Nottingham on December 21, 2010, but died the following morning

'I thought I wasn’t getting anywhere, I was left not knowing what to do.'

Recording a narrative verdict, deputy coroner for Nottinghamshire, Heidi Connor, said: 'To Greg’s family there aren’t enough words in the dictionary to describe what you have been through.

'As a family your dignity throughout these proceedings has been nothing short of inspirational. You have done your son proud, if he was anything like his parents, he must have been quite a lad.'

After the hearing Mr Bear's parents Gary and Elizabeth said they hoped lessons had been learned.

'Hopefully we can take something positive away from the tragic catalogue of errors which took our son away from us,'” Mr Bear's father said.

'We hope medical professionals can become better at spotting the early signs of sepsis so it can be spotted early and lives can be saved. We don’t want anyone to go through what we’ve been through.

'Something as simple as asking when someone last passed urine can save lives. If it’s a long time it’s more than likely they need to go to hospital. Greg was inspirational to his friends. He was well liked by everyone. He would literally do anything for anyone.'

Dr Jim Grey, medical director of East Midlands Ambulance Service, said all staff have been given new guidance on recognising early signs of Sepsis.

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Friday, 12 October 2012