A liver disease patient who passed away a few months after two transplants died of misadventure, a jury at the Coroner's Court ruled on Tuesday.

The five-person jury returned the majority verdict following a 13-day inquest into the death of Tang Kwai-sze, with experts divided on what caused her liver failure.

Tang, a hepatitis B carrier, had two liver transplants in April 2017 after suffering from acute liver failure. She died in August that year at the age of 44.

The two doctors who treated Tang at United Christian Hospital, Lam Chi-kwan and Chan Siu-kim, were later found guilty of professional misconduct for failing to prescribe an antiviral drug she needed.

Delivering its verdict, the jury said Tang suffered from hepatitis B flare-up because of her taking high-dose steroids without being prescribed antiviral medication at the same time.

In guiding the jury to make its recommendations, coroner Monica Chow said jurors needed to consider whether new measures by the Hospital Authority (HA), including a guideline on antiviral prescription for hepatitis B carriers using immunosuppressive therapy, were enough to protect patients.

The jury made five recommendations to the HA, including requiring doctors to prescribe antiviral drugs for patients on high-dose steroids for even less than seven days, subsidising hepatitis B carriers to do regular check-ups at private hospitals, educating them about precautions and symptoms, making sure doctors' clinical records were clear, and providing a reason when laboratories cancelled a test.

Wrapping up the hearing, the coroner told Tang's eldest daughter Michelle Wu that while her love for her mum would not fade with time, she hoped Wu could "one day fill the void left by her mother in a positive way".

The coroner noted that Wu had volunteered to donate her liver to her mother and that showed how brave she was.

"All mothers in the world will tell you that [Tang] would feel comforted and proud to have such a brave, selfless, and loving daughter like you," Chow said.

The United Christian Hospital, in response, said it respects the jury's verdict and will study its suggestions in detail.

It said it had put in place measures to improve the process of prescribing medicine and the communication between medical workers and patients.

The hospital again expressed condolences to Tang's family and said it would assist them where needed.
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Last updated: 2024-05-07 HKT 22:27