Father, 40, who died hours before his baby daughter was born would have survived if doctors had realised he had serious heart condition and given him a pacemaker, coroner says

A man who died hours before giving birth to his baby daughter would likely have survived if doctors had discovered he was suffering from a serious heart condition just days earlier, a coroner said today.

Carpenter Tom Gibson, 40, was ‘cold and unresponsive’ when his partner was 39 weeks pregnant Rebecca Moss tried to wake him up before going to the hospital for an elective C-section and saying, “Wake up, it’s baby day!”

He had undergone an ECG scan 11 days earlier after going to Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester due to an illness.

But doctors failed to realize that the results showed a potentially fatal complete heart block and allowed him to go home without specialist treatment.

The coroner’s devastating finding came as the first photographs were released showing 37-year-old Mrs Moss with their daughter Harper, who turns one on Friday.

Carpenter Tom Gibson, 40, was ‘cold and unresponsive’ when his partner Rebecca Moss tried to wake him before going to hospital for a caesarean section. Mrs Moss is pictured with their daughter Harper, who turns one on Friday

Rebecca (right) pictured with Tom. The young mother found her 40-year-old partner dead hours before she gave birth after doctors missed a heart defect

Chris Morris concluded after a two-day inquest at Stockport Coroner’s Court that it was ‘likely’ Mr Gibson would have survived had he been admitted to the cardiac unit and fitted with a pacemaker.

He criticized the hospital and said he would write to bosses under Rule 28 to prevent further deaths.

Afterwards, Ms Moss said there had been ‘serious failings’ in Mr Gibson’s treatment.

“The ECG showing complete heart block was missed by the doctors and he was discharged without knowing the dangers of sudden death,” she said.

‘Staff failed to determine that Tom needed serious medical attention and no escalation occurred that could have saved his life.

“Medicine has admitted in the last two days that he should have had treatment and a pacemaker.

‘The expertise that could have saved Tom’s life was just a phone call away.

‘It was devastating to learn this here and I believe there is a culture at Wythenshawe Hospital of not recognizing when specialist guidance is needed.’

Mr Gibson (pictured with Rebecca) lay cold and unresponsive on the sofa at the couple’s home in Stretford, Greater Manchester, after suffering a fatal heart attack

Rebecca Moss, 37, tried to wake Mr Gibson (pictured) and said: ‘Wake up, it’s baby day’ hours before she was due to go to hospital for an elective caesarean section on June 7 last year

Coroner Morris said in his conclusion: ‘Mr Gibson died of sudden cardiac arrest.

‘He had been seen 11 days earlier at his local hospital, which provided specialist cardiac care.

‘The clinical team assessing him did not realize that an electrocardiogram showed he had complete heart block.

‘Had this been appreciated, Mr Gibson would have been admitted to the care of a cardiologist and a series of investigations carried out which would likely have resulted in the fitting of an implantable device such as a pacemaker.

“It is likely that such a measure could have prevented his death.”

Mr Morris said the case raised concerns about further deaths, especially as this was the second recent case of a young patient dying of a heart attack after being discharged from the same hospital.

The coroner said the investigation carried out by the hospital had been ‘excessively limited’ and there had been ‘a lack of clear communication’ between doctors at different grades.

He plans to write to the chief executive of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust – which runs the hospital – and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence over concerns about guidelines for interpreting ECG results and referring patients.

Mr Gibson (pictured) had undergone an ECG scan 11 days earlier after attending Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester due to a viral illness

Mrs Moss (pictured with her partner Tom) said Tom had been suffering from a long-term stomach flu and had decided not to join her for the birth because he was afraid of passing the disease on to her and the baby.

Previously, Ms Moss told the inquest how she found Mr Gibson ‘cold and unresponsive’ when she tried to wake him on the sofa at their home in Stretford, Greater Manchester, on June 7 last year.

He was rushed to Wythenshawe Hospital but attempts to revive him failed.

Ms Moss was taken separately to the same hospital where she later gave birth.

“Harper is celebrating her first birthday on Friday and her father won’t be there,” Ms Moss told the hearing.

“He won’t be there for her birthdays.

“He will never be there on Christmas morning, nor on Father’s Day.

“Harper will visit her father’s grave instead when she is old enough to understand. Tom will never be able to push her on a swing or teach her to ride a bike.

“Tom will live on through his daughter, but that doesn’t change the fact that he should still be here with us today.”

The inquest heard that Mr Gibson had been taken to hospital last month with a serious stomach infection and that an ECG had detected a heart blockage.

He was taken to a resuscitation unit and treated with magnesium.

A second ECG revealed the heart defect and a junior doctor referred the test result to a mid-level registrar.

He in turn said the finding was ‘not unusual’ in a 40-year-old fit man and dismissed Mr Gibson with advice to see his GP if his condition did not improve.

The registrar, Dr Thomas Bull, admitted he should have sought the advice of ‘more experienced eyes’.

Ms Moss said Tom (pictured) ‘wasn’t just my partner; he was also my best friend and I consider myself lucky to have met him and had the time with him that I did.”

Dr. Mark Ainslie, clinical director of cardiology at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said it was “more likely” Mr Gibson would have survived if he had been fitted with a pacemaker.

He said there has been ‘a lot of soul searching’ since Mr Gibson’s death, with mandatory referrals now required when an alert is generated by an ECG scan.

Afterwards, Toli Onon, joint chief medical officer at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, offered his ‘condolences and sincere condolences’.

She added: ‘The trust has carried out a thorough investigation to investigate the circumstances surrounding Mr Gibson’s very sad death and we apologize for any instances where our care has not met the high standards we strive for.

‘We are committed to providing the best possible care for our patients and we will carefully review the coroner’s conclusion to ensure that further lessons for the trust are addressed and applied to our ongoing work to keep our patients safe , the quality of care and experience.’