A diabetic woman who struggled to lose weight died hours after having a gastric band fitted.
Susan Alderson had the surgery to have the band fitted, which assists the reduction of the size of the stomach. She upheld the advice of her doctors in order to avoid other life-threatening illnesses. This treatment is normally recommended only when non-surgical treatments, like exercise, diet and medicines have not worked.
The inquest into Mrs Alderson's death, at Derby Coroner's Court, found that the 16-stone mother had an "uneventful" operation, which involved fitting the band and repairing a hernia .
However, post surgery at the Royal Derby Hospital, in January 2009, Mrs Alderson suffered post-operative bleeding and died. Deputy coroner for Derby Louise Pinder recorded a narrative verdict.
The Trust responsible for the hospital, a leading centre for obesity surgery, stated that the surgical team could not have foreseen the "tragic outcome".
The inquest was told that the risks of the operation were explained to Mrs Alderson, but the long-term benefits of losing weight would have outweighed the risks.
Post-operative bleeding brought about a cardiac arrest and Susan died shortly thereafter.
Gastric by pass surgery holds a risk. Due to Mrs Alderson's high Body Mass Index, severe diabetes, hernia repair and liver problems, the risk was greater. These factors meant that when Mrs Alderson developed complications after the operation, her blood did not clot in the normal way.
Derby Hospitals is a leading UK centre for obesity surgery and carries out more than five weight loss operations
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