Errors led to death of nurse in childbirth

A woman died in childbirth at the hospital where she worked as a nurse after a series of errors resulted in her losing a "catastrophic" amount of blood, an inquest concluded yesterday.

Ana Maria Denzo, aged 30, was a victim of poor obstetric care which led to a haemorrhage, followed by botched surgery to repair it. She bled to death after her baby was delivered by Caesarean section at Northwick Park in Harrow, north London, in February 2005.

In a desperate attempt to save her, the first-time mother was transferred to St Mary's Hospital, west London, but died three weeks later. Her daughter, Areanne, who weighed 8lbs 4ozs, survived.

Mrs Denzo was the tenth woman to die in childbirth in three years at the hospital, triggering an investigation by the Healthcare Commission, which put the maternity unit on "special measures" and brought in outside managers to run it.

Yesterday, the north London coroner, Andrew Walker said Mrs Denzo had been given too high a dose of Oxytocin, a drug used to induce labour, and that the progress of the birth had not been properly monitored.

Her consultant, John O'Riordan, admitted he "should have paid more attention to the fact that it was a big baby".