Francesca Lowe, 37, was 25 weeks pregnant when she collapsed in her bathroom at home in Stoke Newington, north London
An award winning painter died along with her unborn baby when she collapsed from heart disease and norovirus.
Francesca Lowe, 37, was 25 weeks pregnant when she lost consciousness in her bathroom at home in Stoke Newington, north London.
Her husband Gavin Nolan rushed found her on lying on the floor and tried to revive her, before paramedics arrived seven minutes after the 999 call.
But sadly, Miss Lowe and her child did not recover and were pronounced dead at the scene on 8.30am on January 23.
The printer and painter studied at the Royal Academy Schools and exhibited her work in London, New York and Beijing.
She had represented the UK at the Beijing Biennale at the National Art Museum in 2008 and won the Red Mansion Prize in 2003, and the Deutsche Bank Pyramid Award for Fine Art the following year.
A few days before her death Miss Lowe had caught the winter vomiting bug norovirus, an inquest into her death at Poplar Coroner’s Court was told.
During her pregnancy she was referred to a cardiologist at Homerton Hospital in east London, as a precaution for a heart murmur which she had had since she was seven.
She underwent an echocardiogram during her first pregnancy in 2012, which found she had mitral valve prolapse in her heart, which was also detected on January 4 this year.
But the inquest heard Miss Lowe had been discharged from the care of the hospital’s cardiology department in early 2013, after apparently failing to attend a meeting.
Ms Lowe (right, next to one of her pieces) was found collapsed at home by her fellow artist husband Gavin Nolan (left)
A letter was sent to her to confirm the appointment but it was not known if it had been received and her GP was not copied in.
The east London NHS Trust has now changed it policy to inform GPs if patients miss appointments
Assistant Coroner Edwin Buckett said: ‘She wasn’t immediately referred to a consultant cardiologist after the 4th of January 2017, and nor were the results of the cardiogram relayed to her GP.’
Ms Lowe studied at the Royal Academy Schools and exhibited her work in London, New York and Beijing
At an earlier adjourned hearing Mr Nolan’s short witness statement was read to the court by the Coroner in which he said: ‘I woke up and went to the toilet and saw Francesca there.
‘There was vomit in the toilet and I touched her and she was cold.
‘I pulled her out of the toilet into the hallway and I started with CPR before calling the ambulance.’
Toxicology found no trace of drugs or alcohol in her system.
Delivering his verdict Mr Buckett said: ‘She was around 25 weeks pregnant with her second child, and had been suffering from a diarrhoea and vomiting bug for a few days.
‘Her heart showed significant disease of the mitral valve, with associated scarring, and norovirus was detected.’
The underlying cause of death was given as disease of the heart muscle, while other conditions which indirectly contributed were pregnancy and the norovirus, he said.
Coroner Buckett said: ‘I find as a fact that it is likely that Francesca was not complaining of chest pains at the time of that echocardiogram, or any condition which would have warranted an emergency admittance to hospital.’
Giving a narrative verdict, he said: ‘Francesca Lowe died in the early hours of the 23rd of January 2017 at her home address along with her unborn child.
‘She was approximately 25 weeks pregnant. She had a pre-existing congenital heart condition, identified in 2012 when she was pregnant with her first child.
‘She remained under the care of the Homerton Hospital cardiology department, but was discharged from their care in early 2013, seemingly because she didn’t attend a meeting.
‘Francesca died as a result of congenital mitral valve disease.
A few days before her death Miss Lowe (pictured) had caught the winter vomiting bug norovirus, an inquest into her death at Poplar Coroner’s Court was told
‘The other conditions that contributed to death are pregnancy and norovirus..
‘Her death was as a result of natural causes.’
The coroner will decide whether to make a prevention of further deaths report at a later date.
The inquest heard from Dr Andrew Deaner, a cardiologist who carried out an independent review of the case.
He said Pregnancy put an extra 40 to 50 per cent strain on the heart, although this tended to come at about 35 weeks onwards, the hearing was told.
The hearing was told changes had been made, including ‘did not attend’ letters now being sent to a patient’s GP as well.