Woman died from DVT (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Woman died from DVT

A CORONER has recorded a verdict of misadventure on the death of an 81-year-old Stow woman who died from deep-vein thrombosis after opting for a full knee replacement operation,

Jean Maxwell Brown, of White Hart Lane, died on March 29 last year as an unforeseen consequence of the surgery, ruled Gloucestershire coroner Alan Crickmore.

The deep vein thrombosis in her leg became mobile and the blood clot moved to her lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism, the inquest at Cirencester Magistrates' Court heard.

Pathologist Dr Keith McCarthy gave the cause of death as pulmonary embolism, caused by the DVT, which arose as a result of the total knee replacement surgery.

Consultant trauma and orthopedic surgeon at Cheltenham General Hospital Peter Birch said that he carried out the procedure on Mrs Brown on March 25 last year. "She appeared to be comfortable after the surgery and I reassured her that it had gone well," he said. "In fact she was making a better than expected recovery."

But on March 29 last year she was found to be suffering from shortness of breath, and deteriorated and died that evening. The coroner said: "Misadventure arises when death is not caused by a natural disease process but as a direct result of a deliberate act that takes an unexpected turn that leads to death."