A dislodged catheter added to a Winscombe man's catalogue ofhealth issues and his resulting death, an inquest heard.
A suprapubic catheter came out of Colin Richard Middle's bladder,lodging in his abdomen and became entangled in his small bowelintestines.
Flax Bourton Coroner Anthony Woodburn questioned medics fromWeston General Hospital during the inquest on Thursday and arrivedat the conclusion it had probably become displaced in the 60-year-old man, rather than misplaced.
But while summing up the incident as accidental death, he didacknowledge the cause of death was more complicated.
It included multiple organ failure and ischemic heart diseasethat reduces blood supply to the organ.
The latter may have been aggravated by liver-scarring cirrhosisand lung-damaging emphysema.
The dislodged catheter wasn't spotted until surgery as thesymptoms associated with it usually happen shortly afterinstallation, not eight weeks later.
Mr Middle died on September 8, 2009, at the Weston hospital.
He was admitted two days earlier, feeling unwell, and a doctorbegan tackling his raised pulse, low blood pressure and urineretention.
The patient's bladder was palpable but nothing issued from hissuprapubic catheter - a tube installed through the navel and intothe bladder under local anaesthetic two months before.
He was given urethral catheterization which helped.
However, supervising doctors' concerns remained when urinaryoutput was not as good as expected and an operation called for.Surgical exploration discovered the dislodged catheter.
But Mr Middle's health declined throughout the day and he died at7.17pm.
The coroner heard the initial installation of the catheter wasdescribed as "easy" but Mr Middle's family said he appeared to be inshock when visiting.
The catheter was later changed on two occasions due to low urineoutput.
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