Widow died after surgeon's error

A widow died on the operating table when an experienced surgeon unintentionally tried to remove her liver instead of a kidney, an inquest heard.

Amy Francis, a 77-year-old retired accountant from St Julians in Newport, South Wales, died of internal bleeding and heart trauma at the Royal Gwent Hospital in July 2010.

Consultant urologist Dr Adam Carter relived the moment he discovered his fatal mistake in court yesterday. The victim's son, Alan Francis, went on to wish him well.

The court heard a trainee surgeon tried to carry out the keyhole surgery but handed over to Dr Carter. "The peritoneum had been breached and the liver fell down and became more accessible than it usually is," Dr Carter told the inquest. He added that the kidney may well have been pulled down out of place as well.

David Bowen, the coroner for Gwent, recorded a narrative verdict.