Death During Surgery

A 36-year-old woman may have died because of how she laid during surgery, a coroner has said.

Janice Stevenson, of Burton-on-Trent, died after a routine spine operation in November 2006.

An inquiry was launched and the case examined alongside a number of other surgical procedures in the same theatre, at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre (QMC), in which patients also fell ill.

It was found that Ms Stevenson developed liver problems during the operation, which led to her death, it emerged.

And similar cases were found in the medical records of another patient - a 16-year-old boy - who had died in a similar way.

Police and experts at the QMC have ruled out foul play and a report has been passed to Notts Coroner Dr Nigel Chapman, who said an inquest would take place.

The coroner told the Nottingham Post that the death is "thought to be related to the position of the patient in theatre."

He said a report had been sent to the Royal College of Anaesthetists to prevent any other deaths although a worldwide search had not produced other similar types of deaths.

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