Mum's death not down to hospital overdose - coroner

An inquest into the death of a young mother who was overdosed with paracetamol in hospital has concluded that the drug did not contribute to her death.

Laura Higginson, 30, who died on 19 April 2017 at Whiston Hospital in Prescot, Merseyside, had a rare and serious genetic condition which meant she was very underweight and should have been given a lower dose, the hearing was told.

The hospital, which has previously admitted administering too much paracetamol intravenously over two days, said it had immediately given Mrs Higginson an antidote and that it had not caused her death.

Coroner Simon Holder rejected both the hospital trust's request for a conclusion of death by natural causes as well as the family's for neglect and gave a narrative conclusion.

Mr Holder said the finding would not affect any future civil claim and said the trust had not shown a duty of candour to the family.

The inquest heard Mrs Higginson was given a standard dose for an adult but she weighed less than six stone (38kgs) and should have been on half of that.

Two days and six doses later that mistake was realised and an antidote given. However Laura's condition worsened and 12 days later she died of multi organ failure and sepsis.

Mrs Higginson's husband Dr Antony Higginson had previously told the coroner , sitting in Bootle, that his wife had vomited blood and turned yellow following the overdose.

Dr Higginson described "a lot of shouting going on at the nursing station", adding there was "panic".

The inquest heard Mrs Higginson had arrived at the hospital's emergency department two days earlier after feeling ill and coughing up a brown substance.

Her condition worsened and she died of multi organ failure and sepsis.

Mrs Higginson had been diagnosed with Gitelmam syndrome in 2010, and had visited the hospital several times because of her kidney and liver problems.

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