The inquest has begun to investigate the death of Frances Cappuccini, at age 30, at Pembury Hospital in 2012. Neil Sheldon is representing Frances Cappuccini’s family. He was instructed by Kate Rohde at Kingsley Napley. The coroner for the hearing is Roger Hatch.
Mrs Cappuccini a former primary school teacher, went into labour in the evening of 8 October 2012, two days before a planned C Section. She requested a C section on arrival but in the even she spent a further 12 hours in labour before an emergency C-section was carried out at 8.30am the following morning.
During that operation, the surgeon left a piece of placenta in the uterine cavity, which caused Mrs Cappuccini to suffer a severe post-partum haemorrhage. She was taken back to theatre for investigation under general anaesthetic.
Although the procedure to remove the retained placenta was uncomplicated Mrs Cappuccini died, without regaining consciousness, a little over 4 hours later. One of the central issues in the inquest concerns her management by the anaesthetists following the operation.
The Inquest was originally halted in 2014 when the NHS trust made legal history by becoming the first to face corporate manslaughter charges. A judge dismissed the case at the Inner London crown court in February 2016.
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