Childcare worker ‘could have lived if doctors spotted infection’ inquest told

Kirsty Woods, 30, had part of her large bowel removed but stitches came undone and she died 12 days after doctors failed to spot peritonitis, a fatal infection.

Pathologist Dr Kim Suvarna told the Sheffield hearing: “She should have walked through this type of surgical procedure easily.” He said if the symptoms of peritonitis had been picked up earlier after the operation Miss Woods could have survived.

He added: “I’m surprised that this degree of inflammation and abdomen catastrophe was not identified and dealt with at an earlier stage.”

Miss Woods’s family claim they raised concerns with staff at Barnsley District Hospital but their pleas were ignored.

But consultant surgeon Theodor Offori said: “I can’t see that one would have done anything particularly different at any stage.”

Dr Ashraf Soliman, a consultant gastro-enterologist said Miss Woods had been admitted to the hospital on August 21, 2010 with a two-week history of diarrhoea, vomiting and pain in her abdomen. It was decided to operate on September 9 and the surgeon found the large bowel “completely inflamed” and removed part of it.

Mr Offori said Miss Woods had a raised pulse throughout her “recovery” period but there were no significant changes.

Questioned by assistant deputy coroner David Urpeth he admitted that one of the risks of the surgery was that the joining could come apart and it could lead to infection. Asked by September 14 if doctors did not consider infection was a possibility he replied: “I can’t tell that from reading the medical notes.”

But he said intravenous antibiotics were given later that day and a CT scan was called for which indicated the doctors considered an infection was a possibility.

X-rays showed no signs of a leaking bowel and in the following few days Miss Woods seemed “slightly brighter”. But by September 18 she was vomiting and hallucinating and on September 21 she had a heart attack and died.

Dr Suvarna gave the cause of death as peritonitis due to a bowel breakdown after the operation.

He said the infection had been present for up to three days and should have been considered. He said Miss Woods, from Penistone, South Yorkshire was “otherwise a fit young woman” and should have recovered relatively easily.

Asked if the peritonitis had been identified earlier what the outcome might have been, Dr Suvarna replied: “The chance of operating again would have afforded Miss Woods a high probability of survival in my opinion.”

The hearing continues.