Woman died after routine hernia operation at NGH
The family of a beloved mother and wife who died after an "extremely rare" complication arose during a routine hernia operation, have spoken of their devastation.
An inquest at Northampton General Hospital yesterday heard that Helen Beatrice Blyth, aged 79, of The Court Yard, Taylor Avenue, Abington, died on March 3 this year, after complications following a visit to the hospital for a routine hernia operation.
Dr Amanda Jeffery, who carried out a post mortem on Mrs Blyth told the inquest that a metal surgical clip had caused superficial damage to the surface of Mrs Blyth's heart, which led to a situation where her heart slowly bled and became surrounded by blood, leading to her going into cardiac arrest.
The cause of death was given as a haemopericardium complicating diaphragmatic hernia repair and gastropexy.
Mrs Blyth was referred to David Hunter, consultant surgeon, at Northampton General Hospital, in July 2009 after she started to experience chest pains, which were found to be due to the presence of a large hernia.
Mr Hunter told the inquest: "The top of one of the staples made a small scratch on the heart so that bleeding was slow and her pulse remained normal. This is an incredibly unusual complication."
Mrs Blyth's son, Stephen, said his mother's death had been devastating for her family, particularly for her husband who has health problems. "None of us has been able to come terms with the results of this operation, which was described as being routine."
He said his mother was an extremely bright woman who was a skilled dressmaker and worked as a bookkeeper for most of her life. He said: "She was a very caring woman who would help anyone who needed it."
Speaking after the inquest, her daughter, Susan Blyth, said: "There was nothing wrong with her, she could have gone on for another 20 years."
Her husband Les Blyth said of his wife: "Our families met on Margate beach in 1949 and became friends. It must have been less than 48 hours when I realised she was the girl for me and we married on July 5, 1952."
Coroner Anne Pember recorded a narrative verdict, saying Mrs Blyth's death was due to an extremely rare surgical complication.
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