Inquest leaves questions unanswered
More information on woman's death sought by husband
A grieving husband yesterday said he was still looking for answers to his wife's death in 2001, three days after giving birth to their daughter at a public hospital.
Chung Chak-tong, 41, was speaking after a coroner's inquest ruled on Monday that his wife, Daisy Chan Wai-sheung, 40, died of natural causes. The inquest also made four recommendations for Queen Elizabeth Hospital to prevent a similar incident.
'The coroner found the reason for her death, but coroner's inquests cannot find fault,' Mr Chung said. 'I want to take some legal action. I want to find somebody who can help me and say that the outcome might not have been like that if something had been done much earlier.'
Chan developed convulsions six hours after an emergency caesarian section on December 17, 2001. She gave birth to a baby girl, her first with Mr Chung. She had had two children from a previous marriage, both now grown up.
Chan was transferred to the intensive care unit but her condition deteriorated and she suffered a brain haemorrhage.
An operation was performed to relieve a blood clot. She died two days later without regaining consciousness.
The inquest was told that Chan developed a unique variant of pre-eclampsia called HELLP Syndrome, a serious pregnancy complication with an incidence of one in 500 cases. Symptoms include swollen liver, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and headache.
Mr Chung said his wife had her first convulsion at about 3.40am on December 18. He added that doctors did not detect any bleeding after her first CT imaging scan taken at about 4.30am, but she was transferred to intensive care. She had another convulsion and fell unconscious, he said. A second CT scan, which was interpreted by a radiologist and a neurosurgeon, detected the bleeding in her brain.
He said his wife had surgery 10 hours after her first convulsion.
On Monday, the coroner recommended that Queen Elizabeth Hospital have a radiologist examine CT brain scans at all times; that a neurosurgeon be consulted immediately where any bleeding was detected in a patient's brain and a neurosurgeon examine the patient to determine their course of treatment; and the hospital follow guidelines that patients in a very urgent condition be transferred to the operating theatre within an hour.
A spokesman for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital said it had noted the verdict and would study the coroner's recommendations.
The hospital has 25 radiologists and 12 neurosurgeons who provide 24-hour emergency service coverage, she added.
Mr Chung pledged to take legal action as soon as he could find an overseas expert who could shed some light on what went wrong.
'This legal action can help others. If the hospital or the medical system can improve as a result, everyone will be helped,' he said.
