Medics 'did not neglect mother' who died after blood clot

A GP who examined her days before she died said he would now be "lowering the threshold" for sending patients with her symptoms to hospital for a more thorough assessment.

Hayley Finch had complained of cramping in the calves of both legs following the operation at Sandwell General Hospital on February 26 this year.

The 32-year-old had been discharged with no anti-clotting medication or compression stockings because of her relatively short four-day stay in hospital and the non-serious nature of her surgery, the inquest heard.

But she suffered pain and swelling in her legs in the days that followed and on March 8 she phoned her GP at Whiteheath Medical Centre, Oldbury, who told her to come in.

Dr Narendra Chandratre told the coroner that he considered deep-vein thrombosis(DVT) as a possible diagnosis but after assessing her in person, he believed the swelling was the result of her surgery and advised her to rest at home with her leg elevated.

He examined both legs and took into account her recent surgery, a risk factor in DVT, but said the incidence of calf DVT leading to a fatal embolism was low.

There was no swelling in her left leg, which caused the fatal clot, and only "mild" swelling in her right foot.

"With DVT you would expect the foot to be hot, tender and hard, due to the build up of pressure from the blockage but neither of her legs were like that," said Dr Chandratre.

Asked what he would do differently, he said: "The threshold to sending to hospital would be lower but certainly she was not symptomatic when I saw her.

"The fact that I considered the possibility of DVT in her right leg shows I did have a high grade of suspicion but after my assessment I did not think this was a likely diagnosis."

Ms Finch, who had a 10-year-old son, collapsed at her home in Kinnersley Crescent, Rowley Regis, on March 15 with shortness of breath and died shortly afterwards despite efforts by a neighbour and paramedics to save her.

A post mortem concluded she died of natural causes.

Her family argued that more risk factors should have been taken into account by doctors, such as her diabetes, the length of time she had been immobile due to her operation and the fact she was overweight.

"We believe more could have been done to save Hayley," said her cousin Natalie Howen, of Tipton.

They also disputed the date of the GP visit, saying it was March 13, two days before she died, but Dr Chandratre insisted there was no record of a visit by her on that day.

The coroner ruled out neglect by medics. In his narrative conclusion, he said Ms Finch died of complications of DVT and pulmonary embolism after surgery.