Scots girl who died after suffering headaches on holiday was due to see GP
dailyrecord.co.ukA Scots girl who died in hospital after falling ill on holiday was due to be assessed by her GP when she returned home, an inquest heard.Gemma Caffrey, 12, became unwell while on a family trip with her parents to Haggerston Castle in Northumberland in October 2021.
The schoolgirl, from Hamilton, began suffering from headaches which had been causing her to wake during the night before their vacation.The Calderside Academy schoolgirl became increasingly unwell and was admitted to Great North Children's Hospital in Newcastle, but sadly lost her life after two weeks in the unit.An inquest into her death heard how Gemma's mum, Alison, had called her GP and requested an appointment for her daughter, which had been arranged when the family were due to return home.
Assistant Coroner Karen Dilks also heard that Gemma suffered seizures during her time in hospital.As reported in Chronicle Live, a decision was made for her to undergo a craniectomy to remove a section of her skull to relieve pressure on her brain.
She was transferred to intensive care following surgery, where Gemma suffered cardiac arrest in the days following the procedure.Pathologist Colin Saysell told Newcastle Coroner's Court that he examined Gemma on October 28 and documented that the cause of Gemma's death was severe and irreversible brain injury due to Venous Sinus Thrombosis (VST) - clots forming in the vessels that take blood from the head.He was, however, unable to identify Gemma's underlying cause of VST.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk