New mother, 29, died when she contracted sepsis just two weeks after emergency caesarean section to give birth to her daughter, inquest hears
- Kimberley Jeffries had an emergency caesarean section at Colchester Hospital
- 29-year-old fell ill and was readmitted after 12 days, before dying three days later
- Expert gave the cause of death as septic shock caused by an unknown bacteria
A new mother died after contracting sepsis two weeks after having an emergency caesarean section, an inquest heard.
Kimberley Jeffries gave birth to a girl after having a caesarean section at Colchester Hospital, in Essex on April 3 last year and was discharged from hospital two days later.
But over the coming days she sought hospital advice several times, complaining of abdominal pain and bleeding, and was prescribed antibiotics for a possible womb infection.
The 29-year-old was readmitted on April 15 but her condition quickly deteriorated and she died three days later.
Kimberley Jeffries, pictured with her husband Chris, gave birth to a girl after having a caesarean section at Colchester Hospital
Ms Jeffries’s condition quickly deteriorated when she was in Colchester Hospital (pictured) and she died three days after being admitted
An inquest looking into the mother’s death was opened at Chelmsford Coroner’s Court, Essex yesterday.
The court heard evidence from Professor Sebastian Lucas, a pathologist at St Thomas’ Hospital.
Prof Lucas, who specialises in carrying out post-mortem examinations relating to maternal deaths, gave the cause of death as septic shock caused by an unknown bacteria. He said it was likely to have been caused by e.coli or Group A Strep.
Prof Lucas added: ‘There is no question she died of severe septic shock. All the markers are there including acute lung injuries.
‘I do not know what the bug that caused it was, or how it got in, but I do know it was a while after the operation before she got it otherwise she would have been ill sooner.’
Mrs Jeffries’ family, including husband Christopher, have demanded answers in a bid to find out what happened to the young mother
He added: ‘This is a maternal death and no question if she had not have been pregnant there is no reason to think she would have died.’
After her readmission to hospital, Mrs Jeffries was prescribed a course of antibiotics as doctors initially believed she may be suffering from endometritis – inflammation of the inner lining of the uterus.
Dr Joanna Cook was one of several clinicians to treat Mrs Jeffries at the Turner Road hospital.
She said: ‘Any doctor, midwife or nurse who is involved in such a shocking and tragic case will always think about whether they could have done more.
‘But I do not think I could have done anything to change the outcome.’
Mrs Jeffries’ husband Christopher, 28, said after the inquest: ‘Kim was the most loving and affectionate wife. We were inseparable and did everything together.
‘We had always spoken about how many children we wanted. We both wanted a big family and were so overjoyed when our daughter came into our world.
‘I still cannot really believe how just a little over two weeks since the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Kim had died.
‘Her death has left us all devastated but what is even more heart-breaking is that Kim is no longer here to see our daughter grow up. Kim will not be here to share all the major milestones like our daughter’s first day at school, passing her exams and getting married is the hardest thing to come to terms with.
‘Kim will always be part of our family and our daughter will grow up knowing how much Kim loved her and how proud she would be of her.
‘It is difficult not to feel angry that if Kim would have received the care she deserved that she could still be alive. All our family can hope for now is that Kim’s death is not in vain and the Trust ensures it learns lessons.’