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Man dies decades after infant brain damage
5 Mar
Summary
- A man died aged 43, over 43 years after surgery.
- Routine infant surgery resulted in catastrophic brain damage.
- Death was caused by sepsis following perforated appendicitis.

A man has died at the age of 43, over four decades after a catastrophic error during routine surgery as an infant. Martin Stuart Hoyle was just months old when he underwent a procedure at Manchester Children's Hospital on November 26, 1982. The surgery resulted in cardiac arrest and severe brain damage.
Martin passed away on August 6, 2025, at Royal Blackburn Hospital. An inquest determined his death was due to sepsis, with perforated appendicitis and craniosynostosis as contributing factors. The assistant coroner delivered a narrative conclusion acknowledging the 1982 surgical error's lasting impact.




