NHS nurse dies days after 'horrendous' pain was labelled as 'trapped wind' by doctors
The family of a nurse who died three days after being sent home from hospital have spoken of the 'cruel irony' of her being 'let down' by the NHS.
Paula Ivers, 47, passed away on 8 March last year shortly after she was discharged by medics at Greater Manchester's Tameside Hospital and told to buy a bottle of Gaviscon.
The mum had headed to the A&E department just 72 hours prior to get her 'horrendous' chest pain checked out, which she had described as being 'worse than childbirth'.
But doctors 'reassured' the paediatric nurse of more than 23 years that it was 'not coming from the heart', an inquest at Stockport Coroner's Court heard.
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Tragically, it later emerged that Paula had suffered an aortic dissection, a life-threatening condition which requires extremely prompt treatment.
The British Heart Foundation explains that it occurs when the weakened wall of the aorta - the body’s main artery - tears, causing blood to leak between the layers that make up the walls of your arteries.
Symptoms include sudden, severe pain across the chest, pain in the jaw, face, abdomen, back or lower extremities, feeling cold, clammy and sweaty, fainting and shortness of breath.
Paula's partner Simon Norbury told the inquest that she had been 'struggling to breathe' as they drove to the A&E department at Tameside Hospital.
Upon her arrival, the mum underwent blood tests, an electrocardiogram (ECG) and a chest X-ray.
Dr Osama Ahmed, who was the senior clinician in the emergency department when Paula attended, decided she was low risk and could be sent to the Same Day Emergency Care Unit (SDEC) at Tameside.
She was then seen by another doctor, who she told her pain was 'severe' - rating it an 'eight or nine out of 10', according to the Manchester Evening News.
But Paula was told her pain was not 'coming from the heart' and she was discharged with a diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Her partner told the inquest that health experts informed them that the NHS nurse was suffering from indigestion and trapped wind, so they should purchase Gaviscon on the way home.
However, her symptoms persisted and she struggled to sleep, with her loved ones explaining that it was evident 'she was still not feeling right'.
Three days after reporting to A&E, Paula was sadly found dead in her bedroom by her nine-year-old daughter.
"We were shocked to have lost her when we were told it was indigestion and there was nothing to worry about," Simon told the inquest in a statement.
Stockport Coroner's Court also heard that Paula's father had passed away from a cardiac arrest in his early 40s.
Dr Ahmed had not looked into her family history or examined her himself before deeming her suitable to be sent to SDEC. The medic said there was not enough evidence pointing to an aortic dissection.
Paula's clinical observations were in a 'normal range' and no other 'abnormal findings' were found after she underwent tests in A&E.
Dr Ahmed said he has since accepted that the nurse should not have been sent to SDEC or classed as a low risk patient.
Paula's sister, Lesley, who is also a nurse, said the late mum was 'let down in the worst way possible' by the NHS.
Describing her sibling as a woman who was 'passionate about providing the best care possible', Lesley said: "It is hard to put into words what Paula meant to me.
"She was a caring, smart, determined and loyal person. She was always at the heart of our family and lit up a room whenever she was around.
"It is a cruel irony that Paula was a fierce advocate and defender of the NHS, yet when she needed it most, she was let down in the worst way possible."
The inquest has now been adjourned until June next year.
Olivia Burke