A PREGNANT mum-of-three and her baby died two days apart after being transferred to an unsuitable ward after catching Covid, an inquest heard.
Sumera Haq, 37, was initially treated on a labour ward when she suffered severe stomach pain and worsening shortness of breath.
The primary school teacher then had a cardiac arrest three days after being transferred to a medical ward last August.
Her third daughter Ayra Butt was delivered by caesarean section but was pronounced dead after 15 minutes. Sumera died two days later.
An inquest at East London Coroners’ Court ruled Sumera was inappropriately transferred to a medical ward and died following a lack of clinical leadership.
It also found a lack of ‘multi-disciplinary planning’ and a lack of close monitoring as well as a lack of ‘appropriate escalation’ due to her deterioration before she suffered the cardiac arrest.
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Sumera’s husband Kasmin Butt, 41, called the heartbreaking double-loss “a living nightmare”.
He said: “It’s almost impossible to find the words to describe the hurt and pain our family feels. The last year has been a living nightmare which I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
“Sumera was a wonderful wife and the best mum any child could ever want. She went out of her way to help others and her death at an age when she had her best years ahead of her, has been particularly difficult to come to terms with.
“Those few days and trying to come to terms with the death of Ayra, whilst Sumera was also slipping away from us is something I’m not sure I’ll ever get over.
“When I saw Ayra she was beautiful. I just held her and cried my eyes out. I’ll cherish what little but precious time I had with her.”
The couple had two other children aged eight and five.
Tests first showed Sumera suffered an acute kidney injury and was later found to have concerningly low levels of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen around the body.
She continued to deteriorate and she was wrongly given blood thinners before suffering cardiac arrest, when Ayra was delivered.
Ms Haq was rushed to emergency surgery where doctors found a haematoma – a collection of clotted blood – in her abdomen, but could not find the source of the bleeding, the inquest heard.
Surgeons carried out a hysterectomy and Ms Haq was transferred to intensive care and put on a ventilator, but her condition continued to get worse and she died.
The inquest found she died from multiple organ failure, abdominal bleeding, Covid-19 infection and pneumonia.
Coroner Nadia Persaud recorded a narrative conclusion and found the medical ward Ms Haq was transferred to “was not an appropriate clinical setting for her”.
She should not have been given blood thinners and no “adequate emergency action” was taken before she suffered a cardiac arrest, the coroner ruled.
The coroner also said there was no overall named consultant in charge of her care and there was no full multi-disciplinary meeting in planning her treatment.
“Insufficient regard” was taken of her acute kidney injury and no action was taken in response to Ms Haq’s concerningly low haemoglobin and persistent abdominal pain, the coroner added.
Mr Butt said: “Being at Sumera’s bedside and holding her hand as her body shut down in front of my eyes and knowing there wasn’t anything I could do to help or save her was heartbreaking.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about our other children and how I was going to tell them their mummy wasn’t coming home.
“I just hope nobody else has to go through the pain we have.”
Taylor Hackett, the expert medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Mr Butt, said: “This is a truly tragic case in which Kasim and the rest of Sumera’s family remain traumatised by their loss.
“It’s now vital that lessons are learned following the several concerns that the inquest has identified in Sumera’s care.”
A Whipps Cross Hospital said the standard of care Sumera Haq received was not good enough but that improvements have since been made.
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A spokesman added: “We offer our sincere condolences to the family of Sumera Haq, the standard of care she should have received was not met on this occasion.
“Whipps Cross Hospital has made significant improvements since to ensure this does not happen again.”
