A nurse died two hours after giving birth when an epidural anaesthetic was injected into her arm instead of her spine.
And in a cruel twist, Mayra Cabrera's husband is facing deportation - because his wife is no longer working. He was granted a visa until February this year on the condition of his wife's work. The couple were thrilled to discover Mrs Cabrera was pregnant.
But when she went into labour on May 11, 2004, something went terribly wrong. Mrs Cabrera was given an epidural anaesthetic, but the drip was wrongly connected to a line into her right arm, intended for a painkiller or saline solution, the inquest heard. Her baby, Zac, was delivered with forceps at 8.14am. But by 9am Mrs Cabrera was feeling dizzy. She began to fit and had a heart attack, dying hours later. At the time, the diagnosis was an amniotic fluid embolism. However, a post-mortem examination revealed that she had died from a toxic dose of the epidural anaesthetic. The coroner said experts found two other women had died in UK hospitals in the last decade as a result of the same mistake.
Mr Cabrerad believed his wife died from natural causes and it was only in July 2005 that he was told there had been a clinical error. Initially he was told his wife had died because of a rare embolism. Describing the moment he learned of the error, he said: "I was very angry I had been lied to for so long about how my wife had died. We both came to the UK to start a new life. The person who gave Mayra that drug robbed me of my family."
Mr Cabrera, 38, returned to the UK for the inquest and to launch a civil claim for damages, but will have to leave when it ends. An application to the Home Office for permission for him and his son to be given leave to stay indefinitely in this country has been refused.
The coroner told the inquest in Trowbridge: "Frankly, I believe he has been placed in a most extraordinary situation by our Government in that he has been deported, as of February 28. It is a situation that I have some difficulty in appreciating given the circumstances."
Swindon & Marlborough NHS Trust has admitted full liability. A police investigation and Health Safety Executive inquiry were launched, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to charge anyone.
January 2007
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