Operation failed to prevent death from bowel condition

MYSTERY still surrounds the death of a 50-year-old woman with learning difficulties.

Kathleen Craig, who lived in Rydal House, a nursing home in Dresden, died from acute ischaemic colitis, where her bowel began to die from a lack of blood supply.

But a post-mortem could not reveal what had caused the condition, which made her suffer from multiple organ failure.

Kathleen was taken to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire on October 25 in severe pain.

Surgeons removed a large part of her bowel but said the chance of her surviving the operation was just 30 per cent. She died at 1.55am on November 6.

Her sister Christine Carter, of Tomfields, Wood Lane, said Kathleen had suffered from anorexia and bouts of depression and would sometimes stay in bed for days.

But she said just two days before Kathleen was taken to hospital she had spoken to her on the telephone to arrange a cinema trip. She added: "The care she received at the hospital was second to none. They did everything they could."

Pathologist Victoria Smith said she could not find what had caused her bowel to fail. She said it could have been due to low blood pressure but it seemed unlikely as that had not been picked up by doctors.

She said: "The operation she had didn't shorten her life, it just failed to save her."

Coroner Ian Smith recorded a verdict of death by natural causes.

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32715/f/503368/s/131b4b0f/l/0L0Sthisisstaffordshire0O0Cnews0COperation0Efailed0Eprevent0Edeath0Ebowel0Econdition0Carticle0E32896440Edetail0Carticle0Bhtml/story01.htm

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