An inquest has heard how a Thornton Heath mum bled to death after losing more than half of her blood following a caesarean which was carried out by a trainee surgeon.
Rosida Etwaree lost more than six-and-a-half pints of blood after successfully giving birth to twins, Nuha and Nabilah, at Croydon University Hospital in June 2010, the hearing was told – although Nabilah sadly died from a heart defect two years later.
The mum-of-six was one of five mums to die in childbirth at the hospital, which used to be called Mayday Hospital, that year.
The caesarean was recommended by Mrs Etwaree’s consultant because she was suffering from potentially fatal pre-eclampsia and one of the twins had a heart condition, the inquest heard.
The hearing, held at Davis House in Croydon town centre, heard that on the day of the operation – June 23, 2010 – trainee surgeon Dr Latika Narang struggled to close Mrs Etwaree’s uterus due to a heavy bleed on a placental bed.
As a result consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Britt Clausson stepped in to finish the operation but then left the operating theatre, the hearing was told.

 

The operating team calculated that Mrs Etwaree had lost about two litres of blood (three-and-a-half pints) and she was given two units before the 45-year-old was stabilised and moved to a recovery ward.
However, Dr Narang later found the amount she had lost to be three-and-three-quarter litres (six-and-a-half pints) and claims to have left the details in her handover notes.
Because Dr Narang had to attend a hearing, she left before the handover doctor, Dr Sajitha Nalini, had arrived, and left her patient notes with Dr Ebrahim Foroughi to pass on, the inquest heard.
She also claims to have told this to Dr Neelam Chitkara but the consultant anaesthetist told the court she had no memory of being told that Mrs Etwaree’s blood loss was so high.
In 2014 Croydon Health Services NHS Trust admitted liability for Mrs Etwaree’s death after solicitors found there had been a catalogue of “atrocious” failures, and agreed to pay her husband Ahamud an undisclosed settlement  to help care for the couple’s children.
However, Croydon University Hospital will not face criminal charges in connection with Mrs Etwaree’s death   the Crown Prosecution Service announced last September.
Mr Etwaree, 45, of Georgia Road, was present with other relatives for the opening of the inquest  last week.
The hearing, which is expected to take three weeks to complete, continues.