As Frances Cappuccini was feeding her newborn for the first time, she suffered blood loss, and hours later, she died. She was healthy and young - just 30-years-old, but on October 2012, she died due to "failures, inadequate diagnosis and treatment" during a C-section.
Breathing Tube Was Removed Too Soon
Cappuccini, a school teacher from England, lost more than more than two litres of blood - almost half amount in her body - after the C-section. According to The Guardian, she pleaded to undergo caesarean at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, but the medical staff decided she should continue with a natural birth. After 12 hours in labor, the medical team finally agreed to a caesarean.
However, after the C-section, she was bleeding because a 4-5cm piece of placenta was left in her uterine cavity, which had to be surgically removed. While under general anaesthetic, a breathing tube was removed too soon, and this caused a steep decline in the oxygen levels in her blood.
Doctors Misses Symptoms For Sepsis And Kidney Injury
Doctors missed sepsis and possible kidney injury symptoms, and the coroner said that the premature removal of a breathing tube which had to be subsequently reinserted caused the emergency situation. Dr Nadeem Azeez, who was said to have probably taken the ventilation tube out before the patient was able to breathe unaided, said that Cappuccini had been showing signs of regaining consciousness when he decided to remove the tube, but his claim was disputed by other witnesses.
An inquest was carried out, criticizing the care given to her. Senior Coroner Roger Hatch said that the C-section was not carried out with enough care, Independent reported. He added that checks should have been made to ensure nothing was missed. "As a result of my findings I propose to record that the death of Frances Olwyn Cappuccini was as a result of the failures, inadequate diagnosis and treatment of her at the Tunbridge Wells hospital on 9 October 2012," Hatch concluded.
