New shoe killed a grandad

A shoeA grandfather died after a blister caused by tight new shoes led to blood poisoning and massive organ failure. Peter Catterall, 60, was given dressings by a district nurse and told the sore on his toe should heal by itself.

But just over a week later, the retired electrician suffered two heart attacks. He was taken to hospital and diagnosed with blood poisoning, or septicaemia, and died within a month. His grieving family said they believed Mr Catterall would still be alive if the severity of his condition had been spotted sooner.

Aruni Sen, treasurer of the British Association for Emergency Medicine and an A&E consultant, said septicaemia could set in frighteningly quickly. "You would expect an apparently trivial wound to lead to a simple infection, but on occasions it could result in one that is virulent and aggressive,' he said. "At the early stage you can't tell the difference, but when it spreads into the blood it can lead to organ failure. Patients must go back to their doctor if they're not getting better."

Source: This Is London
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