The Litvinenko Inquiry

The Litvinenko Inquiry
3.117 Mr Litvinenko was worse again on the following day, 3 November. He started to
complain of pain, and to experience bloody diarrhoea. 103 Mrs Litvinenko’s evidence
was that it was on this day that she prevailed upon the Russian doctor to whom
she had previously spoken on the phone to come and visit. 104 Mr Prikazchikov,
who gave evidence to the Inquiry, thought that he had visited on the previous day,
but in light of the chronology he is probably wrong about that. Mrs Litvinenko and
Mr Prikazchikov were, though, agreed on what he said when he visited. He said that
Mr Litvinenko was probably suffering from either food poisoning (no other form of
poisoning was mentioned) or an infection, but that either way he ought to be taken
straight to hospital. 105
3.118 Accordingly, Mrs Litvinenko again rang for an ambulance. The ambulance arrived
just after 4.00pm on 3 November and, on this occasion, took Mr Litvinenko to Barnet
Hospital, where he was immediately admitted. 106
Treatment in Barnet Hospital
3.119 Dr Andres Virchis, a consultant haematologist at Barnet Hospital, gave evidence
about Mr Litvinenko’s care and treatment for the fortnight that he was a patient at
that hospital. 107 I also admitted into evidence Mr Litvinenko’s medical notes from
Barnet Hospital. 108
3.120 The evidence that I received from such sources as to Mr Litvinenko’s symptoms whilst
in Barnet Hospital, about the care and treatment that he received, and in particular
about the attempts made by the medical staff to diagnose the condition from which he
was suffering, may be summarised as follows:
a. Mr Litvinenko had been suffering from abdominal pain, profuse diarrhoea and
vomiting for two days when he was taken to hospital. 109 An initial diagnosis of
gastro-enteritis with mild dehydration was made; 110 and Mr Litvinenko underwent
a wide range of tests over the following days to try to identify the cause of his
symptoms. The results of the initial blood tests showed that although the platelet
count was normal, both haemoglobin and the white blood cell count were high. 111
The blood test results also revealed that Mr Litvinenko had abnormally high levels
of creatine and urea, indicating that he was dehydrated from the vomiting and
diarrhoea 112
b. On 4 November Mr Litvinenko was started on a course of Ciprofloxacin, a
relatively strong broad spectrum antibiotic. 113 However, further samples of
Mr Litvinenko’s blood were analysed over the next few days; and doctors observed
that the platelet count fell to an abnormal level and the red and white blood cell
counts fell further. The continuing decline in blood cell count caused increasing
levels of concern 114
103
Marina Litvinenko 4/54 lines 22-23
104
Marina Litvinenko 4/54-55
105
Prikazchikov 17/110-115
106
Marina Litvinenko 4/55-56; Baxter 17/125-127
107
Virchis 18/2-74
108
INQ006741
109
Virchis 18/6-7
110
Virchis 18/13
111
Virchis 18/19
112
Virchis 18/20-21
113
Virchis 18/16-17
114
Virchis 18/20; 18/26-31
34