Anaesthetic 'linked to mother's death'

A woman who was terrified of needles died after giving birth by Caesarean section under general anaesthetic at a private hospital in London.

Tracey Sampson, 36, died in April shortly after regaining consciousness. Her third child, George, had just been born at the Portland Hospital for Women and Children.

She had opted to have a general anaesthetic instead of the more usual epidural – an injection in the spine to numb the lower half of the body – because of her fear of needles. But after coming round from the anaesthetic she became distressed, the oxygen level in her blood was low and she suffered heart failure.

An inquest into her death at Westminster's coroner's court yesterday was told the cause of her heart failure remained a mystery. Neither of two pathologists who examined her was able to explain why it had happened.

Professor Sebastian Lucas, who did the second post-mortem examination, said heexcluded heart disease, high blood pressure and thrombosis as a cause and concluded that she had heart failure "presumably related to recent pregnancy and anaesthesia." He added: "There is a small but decided risk in general anaesthesia of the heart failing." The inquest continues.