A MAN who suffered heart palpitations was found dead by his parents just a day after doctors diagnosed him with anxiety.
Ben Peters, 25, was a healthy avid footballer from Manchester when he suddenly died.
MEN MediaFootball fan Ben Peters died suddenly from heart-related issues last year[/caption]
MEN MediaThe 25-year-old was in the prime of his life when tragedy struck[/caption]
MEN MediaBen pictured with his mum Anna and brother Michael[/caption]
The man had just taken his final exams to become a qualified solicitor and was running a local football team, Cheadle Atlas.
However, one evening in November last year he suffered a bout of chest pains and was short of breath.
He checked himself into A&E but left after doctors allegedly claimed his symptoms could be anxiety or gastroenteritis as all of his tests came back clear.
The next morning on November 12, he was dead.
Michael, Ben’s brother, told Manchester Evening News the tragedy came as a shock.
He said: “It was a Friday night, around midnight, Ben started having a lot of chest pain and was breathing in and out quickly, having serious shortness of breath.
“I rang my mum and dad and Ben went to A&E at the Manchester Royal Infirmary.
“He had quite a few tests and none of them showed anything was wrong.
“Doctors just put his symptoms down to anxiety disorder or gastroenteritis because he was incredibly tense and having heart palpitations.”
Once Ben was discharged, the 25-year-old returned to his parent’s home for the rest of the day and spent the night there.
The next morning his dad was met with a waking nightmare.
Michael said: “My dad was the first to wake up and noticed the light was still on and went to check on Ben who had been sleeping on the sofa.
“He found Ben, he was dead.”
The sudden death left his family devastated, however, Michael believed the medical staff did everything in their power to assess Ben.
Michael said: “Ben’s electrocardiogram (ECG) was normal, his X-ray came out fine.
“The medics are looking for the most likely cause and there was just nothing they thought was an issue, they can’t look into every single possible detail.
“Really, it was just a very unlucky set of circumstances and timings.
“It was no one’s fault.”
An inquest was launched following the shock death.
In early May, the inquiry found Ben had died from a lethal aortic dissection.
The symptoms of such a tear are severe pains in the chest and can result in sudden death.
Michael said: “The inquest revealed that Ben had a catastrophic haemorrhage of his aorta.
“There was a tear on his heart and it expanded, and ended up completely severing, which killed him.”
The brother admitted his family have struggled with the loss but have also been overwhelmed with support they have received.
It also prompted them to get their own hearts checked.
Ben’s immediate family, including his two brothers Harry and Michael, mum Anna and dad Stephen, underwent MRI scans, ECGs and echocardiograms.
The tests found Stephen had the same vulnerability, who will now undergo open-heart surgery in June as a result.
On July 8, Ben’s family will host a charity football match at Cheadle’s football ground to raise awareness about chest related health issues.
Michael said: “We’re trying to raise money for C-R-Y, which has been a real, massive help.
“Ben was incredibly enthusiastic, he was a really great brother to me, he was only a year above me and taught me a lot about life.
“We all miss Ben every day, he was my best friend.
“It’s very hard coming to terms with a life without him.”
A spokesman for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Manchester Royal Infirmary, said: “We wish to offer our sincere condolences to the family of Ben for their loss.
“Sadly, routine tests do not always pick up on this tragic condition and Ben’s circumstances were truly unfortunate.
“We wholeheartedly support Ben’s family and friends in raising awareness for cardiac risk in the young.”
CRY offers subsidised ECG and echocardiogram screening to all young people between the ages of 14 and 35.
An ECG is a simple way to diagnose most cardiac abnormalities.
Results should be read by a cardiologist and or extra clarity, an echocardiogram can also be done.
MEN MediaBen, centre, pictured with his brothers Harry and Michael, and dad Stephen[/caption] Read More