Bernadette Horsey, a 31-year-old biomedical scientist, died of natural causes after suffering a “profound, catastrophic collapse” following the delivery of her baby, Tim, at the Royal Derby Hospital in January 2022. Despite doctors raising no concerns about her health during a planned Caesarean section, Mrs. Horsey went into cardiac arrest moments after giving birth. There were “no missed opportunities or shortcomings” in her care, concluded Louise Pinder, assistant coroner for Derby and Derbyshire.
A pathologist could not find a clear cause of death, but the coroner was satisfied that the clinicians’ conclusion that Mrs. Horsey died of an amniotic fluid embolus was correct. An amniotic fluid embolism, where amniotic fluid enters the bloodstream and causes a reaction that can stop the heart, is “extremely rare”, but still a “recognised event” that can happen during childbirth.
Mrs. Horsey’s husband, Aaron, from Beeston, Nottinghamshire, thanked the medics after the three-day inquest, and said the process had been “incredibly long and tough.” However, Tim is doing well. During the inquest, Aaron and Mrs. Horsey’s father behaved with dignity and poise, according to the coroner.
Ms. Pinder concluded that Mrs. Horsey had been appropriately categorised as low risk, and there was no evidence of any infection or any errors with medication. Recording that Mrs. Horsey died of natural causes, Ms. Pinder said: “She was being adequately and appropriately monitored and resuscitation attempts were well organised but ultimately unsuccessful.” Garry Marsh, executive chief nurse at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, expressed his condolences to Aaron and his family and welcomed Aaron’s continued close working with the Trust so that his personal experience can support the changes and improvements being made
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